Mammy Jospehine,
Death lingers on your breath;
From every third sentence
The untimely demise of a friend
Is plucked from your alexandria
And laid to rest in the London air.

The engagement party became your wake;
Gratitude came first, some qualifications second
Since our celebrations reminded you of your reverend
Who possessed your heart in full
Until his tendons supporting you
Severed clean when he rode a bit too quick
Molding his Harley into the spine of bricks
Previously the boundaries of your new home.

Leaving the party in Cousin Jason's car
The joy on your face seeped into my arm
Revealing your age old scars.
Praising the jollof rice and the confetti
You stopped and realised you were indeed not ready
To forget old Aunty Eunice
Who welcomed her release from an unsteady mind.

Even though I saw how much joy hurt
I couldn't help but feel peaceful
Because I know that your true strength
Is your ability to know that persistence is evil.

Yet your persistence
Despite the toll its taken
Enshrines your Friends
In the Prism of your qualified lens.