Yes! You read that right. We need to have a thorough conversation cause I don’t understand anymore. I think a letter will do.

I start most of my informal letters with ” I’m pleased to write this letter to you” or ” it is with great pleasure that I write to you” but in this case I am not pleased neither do I see it as a pleasure to write to you but I have no choice.

Dear Death

It is with much disappointment and displeasure that I am compelled to write this letter to you. I had hoped that I could avoid such a correspondence, but I find myself unable to let your actions rest without expressing my feelings towards you.

O Grim Reaper!

You’re quite the mysterious fellow, aren’t you? Always lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike. So let me ask you a question – why all the secrecy? Why not come out and introduce yourself to the world? You could be the next big celebrity! Just imagine the headlines: “Death makes his debut on the red carpet!” or “Death goes viral on TikTok!” You could even get your own reality TV show! You can even create your own vacation spot and charge miniscule amount as tickets fee .

The Grande expiration!

You have messed with me emotionally and mentally. I cry my eyes out whenever you strike and I am sick and tired of you taking the ones I love at every time you have a chance.

When I was little, I never believed in your power. I always thought that when they say a person is dead, it is either the person is in a deep sleep and would eventually wake up later. I used to think that he/ she was pretending. I guess because at that time, you didn’t pay me a visit and because I never had a close encounter with you.

Your first strike was my godmother. The news of her death was shocking and suprising but I still saw it as a joke. I feel like you wanted to teach me a lesson and then you took someone closer, you took the largest part of my heart and left a vacuum that can never be filled up , no matter what. You took my dad. *Takes a deep breath*

His death is one that I find hard to get past. It still feels like a dream. In this case, it is a nightmare that I want to wake up from. Though, it’s almost seven years now, it seems like it happened only yesterday. The pain is like that of a fresh wound.

I remember on the day he was buried, there was a service of songs held at his church (St Francis Catholic church, Idimu, Lagos.) He was a church warden at that church and so it was necessary that service of songs be held there. During the course of the service I continuously watched the coffin. Do you know why? (*Smiles*)

I remembered some movies where I saw a dead person come back to life or suddenly sneeze when he/she had already been layed in a coffin.

So,I had the believe that he was going to sneeze and stand up but it never happened. I saw people crying at the church but I couldn’t cry, I couldn’t even shed a tear. I tried forcing myself to cry but i just couldn’t. After the mass, the coffin was carried back into the car that brought it and I was disappointed. We finally got home and it was time for him to be buried, I remembered seeing my siblings pour sand on the coffin and my mum called me to do the same, and that was when it dawned on me that he was gone, never to return again, never to hug his little Omo again and at that point I felt hot streaming tears roll down my cheeks. I poured the sand and found myself crying uncontrollably. When the grave was finally covered with sand, it felt like my whole life was buried right before my eyes. Still, the great executer, decided to strike again, this time you decided to take my dog, Zele. Hmmmmm!! what can I say. *Sighs*

Moving on, I was finally forgetting your wicked and unexpected visits and then you decided to visit again and show off your cruelty. This time you took my dearest friend, Wisdom. His death is something that I can’t even explain. You took him in my birth month and so every year i celebrate my birthday, I have it at the back of my mind that in the year 2022, Wisdom died four days after my birthday. *Takes a deep breath*

Death oh death!!

You have implanted deep scars in me and those scars cannot be healed. They are here to stay.

Death oh death!!

How cruel thou art, men tremble with fear of thy might.

The mention of thy name exudes fear upon men.

You capture humans with a tight grip like a predator patiently waiting to strike it’s prey. The thought of you alone is the beginning of fear to men. Men were given dominion over all things but not over your striking power. Even kings are afraid of your might, rich men tremble at the sight of you because we all know that you are inevitable . Everyone will get in a battle with you, someday, somehow.

In the battle between you and God. God will always emerge victorious. Though death may claim many souls, it cannot claim eternal victory, for God’s love is stronger than death’s darkness. Though we may experience sadness and loss in this life, we can take comfort that God has already won the ultimate battle. So, Oh death, you can claim many lives, but you cannot claim eternal victory.

I would have said thank you but you don’t deserve any gratitude. *HISSES*

Yours, In defiance of death,

To those who have lost a loved one, though your loss is deep and your grief is strong, know that you are not alone. Though death may have taken your loved one from you , your memories of them will live on.❤️❤️❤️