Resting In Peace
I have elected to rest my life in peace,
as long as I live in harmony with my neighbour.
Death must never be one of the necessities
to grant me rest, peace and happiness;
It must never be the dream of my pursuit,
nor the nightmare I dread to meet in my sleep.
I would love to say of my time in retrospect,
that I have earned grace beside the moon,
near the stars and all the host of angels
guarding me like a newly captured city.
A life of peace and rest is one well-lived,
guaranteeing love at the time of death.
Death has no power to colour or change;
It is not the truth, the way and the life
emblazoned on the stone of hope and faith,
on which life has already put its golden seal.
A little life spent in pursuit of nothingness,
has no miracle for death to rest in peace,
except for one spent in leading the lost to God,
when rest in peace is the graceful reward.
Live a life of peace, of purity and honour,
one in the nakedness of deceit and fraud,
without the need to spill innocent blood,
and peace will be the bed on which you lie all day.
Death will empower the night to scare you,
the day will run you down with fear,
and floats your miserable life down the grave.
Jonathan Ukah is a graduate of English and Law. His works have been published by the department of English, Ohio State University, Ohio, and the Black Writing Review of the Edgehill University, Edgehill, UK. His poems have also been published online by the Sparrows Trombone, Discretionary Love, State of Matter, New Note Poetry, New Reader Magazine, Wildfire Words Literary, the Poet, Fresh Words International Literary Magazine, Boomer Literary Magazine, the Pierian, the Journal of Undiscovered Poets, Whiskyblot Literary, Compass Ross, Aloko, etc.
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