The Mother-in-law I did not have...

When I first met you

You didn’t look directly at my face

No, you busied yourself trying to make me feel comfortable

Dressed in the Niaja bohemian way

You had prepared yam and sauce and insisted that I eat

You would have made fufu

But your son was bringing home a North Central girl

Fufu and swallow may not be her thing

And you were right

You set a table in your little room

You reminded me of a matron

So prim and proper

Set on the table, dishes,napkins and cutlery

How tasty that meal was

True, Akwa Ibom women were born in the kitchen

You stopped me from doing the in-law runs thing

No clearing the table, no washing the dishes for me

You had your boys to do all of that

And if they couldn’t you were capable too.

And after that, we had a long long talk

Long long long doesn’t cut it

"My son has a ministry so his wife cannot wear pants"

Alas, I was wearing jeans and decked very sporty

You shared your dreams for your children

And told me Ekom's miraculous childbirth story

You poured your heart out to me

Told me of you and the mistakes you had made

Just you and I alone in that little room

You told me your heart, your dreams and desires

Your victories and struggles...

How long did you wait for a daughter to pour your life to?

How long did you wait for me to come?

I left that day and I realised

I had another mother whether I liked it or not

You called me

Always…

You prayed for me

Always…

You would finish my airtime blessing me

I would complain fondly to Ekom

"She finished my airtime"

He would laugh and say,

"She just exhausted mine"

What did you say?

We would travel out without paying for it?

God will raise men to help us

We will be recognised in our places of work

We will get new jobs

We will prosper so we can take  care of family

We will never lack or sorrow

The God you serve will never leave us

We will take care of you

What did you call me?

God of my Blessing be praised?

When sick, you will rejoice

You would say, "The devil wanted to destroy me but the God of my blessing did not let it"

You called me your blessing

You called me your daughter

What did you call me?

Your pillar, your first daughter

There was no pretence

No lies, no deception

No other woman besides my mother has blessed me the way you did

I could report Ekom to you

Shebi I said I will buy what you’ll wear for the wedding as your fashion sense is rusty?

Shebi you said you want to live with us when we get married?

I know we said, “Ha ,not immediately” but now, I take it back

You can come and stay as long as you like

Your Son…

The man I will marry

What should he do now?

What about all the plans we had, he had?

Couldn’t you have waited a bit longer?

What you have said…

They are coming to pass

The prophetic utterances you made by the auction of the Holy Spirit

We see them now…

So you won’t dance at the reception?

You’ll dance in heaven?

I tried…

I tried to show you how much of a daughter-in-law  you would get 

I wanted to do more

I’m told to be strong for Ekom

The task is harder than I thought

I don’t know how to make him grieve

He smiles and comforts others

Yet his eyes are sunken

And yet I grieve

I may not have been your daughter-in-law

But you made me your daughter

And I grieve

We lay you in the ground

Finding comfort in this one small thing

You are in an amazing better place

And we will still see you again