Friends Of The Dead Poem by Doreenda Nikoi Kotei

Until you die,
You wouldn't know that:
Your family was rich and wealthy; advertising you on giant billboards and in the media,
Your siblings were natives of England; writing extensive pages in English about you,
Unconcerned family heads could have the time to sit, grief and mourn over you,
Bosses and coworkers could appreciate your good works and efforts,
Society could care and pay attention to you,
Next door neighbours could have you in mind,
Old school mates could remember and help you,
Your church had more members than before,
Friends and critics could drink and dance like never before,
Ladies could dress to kill and party as if it's nobody's business,
And guys could become professional and award winning actors!


It is a crazy world! And in evil times!
When a person is struggling, even to the point of death,
He has no friends and family,
What they say is...
Hmmm, we are in tough times now,
Money is hard to come by,
We don't have the time to come and visit you,
But as soon as the person dies,
There and then,
People, Money and time become available!
We've become each other's killer instead of being each other's keeper!
Yes! We kill people with our thoughts, words and actions,
We discount and discourage them outright!
Our eyes are tight closed on their struggles,
We try every possible means to destroy their bright future,
Way before they're even born into this world,
We scar and mar their greatness,
And keep pestering and torturing them till they return to their Maker!

Day in and day out,
Precious people are passing away,
And we wonder why?
You and I are the reason why!
If we can be a little bit sensitive to others,
To check out on them,
To speak faith, life and healing into them,
To be the arm to pull them out of their mess,
To be the shoulder for them to cry on,
To be kind and generous enough to share with others,
Pray, play and plan with them
The pillar to lift, hold up and help them stand strong on their feet again,
To wipe away their tears and reassure them that all will be well,
To be the pivot to turn their lives around for the better.
To be the good Samaritan in their storyline,
Then we can be the icons that will forever live and dwell in their bossoms.


DOREENDA NIKOI KOTEI