DIDACTIC: "WE ARE MERELY WAITING TO DIE" BY SULAIMON KHALID

The wind is not just moving,

it is running, it is singing

rehearsing our names,

and the night is not empty;

it is counting,

counting how many days are left

to watch the moon and the stars,

counting how many more suns

will rise and set before our eyes.

the earth is not patient;

it is hungry,

It eats us one after another,

swallowing us one after another,

for all who once tasted life on it,

shall one day taste the beneath too.

We are merely waiting to die,

not because death is cruel,

nor because death is kind,

for we've made an oath with home,

and we must return to the land,

that first called us its children.

We are merely waiting to die,

one after the another,

like pupils waiting for their names

to be called from the register,

and when the name is called,

no argument, no hiding, no plea;

we go without bags, without flasks

to land that's hidden to us;

yet somehow, known as home.

We are market men and women,

traders beneath a borrowed sky

traders roaming a borrowed soil,

we bargain with the hours,

as if one hand of the clock obeys us,

we plan for tomorrow

as though tomorrow belongs to us,

but when it's time to leave,

this earth, a marketplace

we, mere travelers,

follow the sound of the bell

and when the bell is rung,

we find our route home; We Die.

© Sulaimon Khalid

- Nigeria.

The poem reflects on the certainty and inevitability of death, presenting human life as a temporary journey on earth. Through vivid personification, the poet portrays nature as constantly reminding humanity that every individual has a limited time to live. The earth is depicted as a force that eventually reclaims everyone, emphasizing that no one can escape mortality.

The speaker compares human beings to pupils waiting for their names to be called and traders in a marketplace, illustrating that life is only a brief assignment on borrowed time and borrowed land. Although people make plans, pursue wealth, and become absorbed in worldly activities, they have no control over the moment of their departure. When death comes, everyone must leave behind their possessions and return to their true home.

Overall, the poem reminds readers that death is a natural and unavoidable part of life. It encourages humility and an awareness of the temporary nature of earthly existence, urging people to live wisely while they still have the opportunity.