RESOLUTE: "WHEN DEATH COMES" BY RASHIDAT OLAMIDAYO AJAKAYE

When death comes,

I want to be a great-great-grandmother,

I want to be as fulfilled as a birthed baby and a living mother,

I want to be buried by thousands from my womb,

do not throw a party, I have thrown enough.

When death comes,

Lord, do not let me die in the hands of an enemy or my enemies,

You own my Life,

lead me as you have done to Teaknewboo,

never let my burial bills be paid by my enemies.

When death comes,

show me mercy,

I do not want my enemies to see my body without its soul,

I have written words with passionately produced powerful points,

after my time... do not let them fade away.

When death comes,

Exactly as my father... Ajakaye,

I want to be buried in an enclosed place_ roofed, titled, visible, locked, untouchable...

so that enemies would not spit upon the earth that covers my bones,

let me entrust the key to the right child, so that my new house wouldn't be dirty.

When death comes,

let it come in ease, Lord take my life enjoyably,

Lord, I know death will come,

I may no longer own the body you gave me when it comes,

but now as l live, help me own my life like the cloud owns the sky.

© RASHIDAT OLAMIDAYO AJAKAYE

STRIDA... guiding you striking confidence in academic and creative writing!

2026

"When Death Comes" by Rashidat Olamidayo Ajakaye is a reflective and spiritual poem in which the speaker accepts death as an unavoidable part of life while expressing heartfelt hopes for how it should come. The speaker longs to live a full and meaningful life, surrounded by generations of descendants, and asks God to grant a peaceful death rather than one brought about by enemies. Through repeated prayers, the poem emphasizes complete trust in God as the giver and taker of life and seeks divine mercy, protection, and dignity in death.

The poem also explores the desire for an honorable burial and a lasting legacy. The speaker hopes that their body and resting place will be treated with respect, safe from desecration by enemies, and that their writings and contributions will continue to inspire others after death. Ultimately, the poem celebrates a life lived with purpose, faith, and fulfillment, portraying death not as something to fear but as a final journey that should be met with peace, dignity, and the assurance that one's legacy will endure.