No laughter rings, just heavy air,
Thick with dust, a scent of despair.
Saints Academy, a shattered frame,
Where echoes whisper children’s names.
“Wait,” they say, but wait for what?
A miracle? My heart feels taut.
Four precious lights, snuffed out too soon,
Can a mother’s love outshine this moon?
The ground convulses, mimics my plea,
Grief’s crushing weight, a drowning sea.
Will the sun pierce through this endless night?
Can these broken pieces find the light?
Memories dance, like phantoms fly,
Of playful smiles and reaching high.
Now cold and stark, this concrete tomb,
Where once my children found their room.
Before you tell me time will mend,
Think twice. My four and more, trapped without end.
Stars stolen, leaving only night,
This waiting holds no shred of light.
© Ifedolapo Ogunniyi
NB: Our heart goes out to the trapped students of Saint Academy, Jos, Nigeria. Keep breathing, help is on the way
Ifedolapo Ogunniyi 