MONOLOGUE: "WHY, MY LOVE?" BY IKECHUKWU FRANK

Did I ever wrong you by choosing you,

Or did I simply love you as I knew?

Today my heart is asking, soft and low,

Why does this journey hurt me so?

I remember when sickness came your way,

I stood beside you through each difficult day;

I gave my time, my money, and my care,

Believing you would rise again from there.

When doctors saw no hope and said the end,

I held on to faith as your loving friend;

I believed that somehow you would be whole,

And prayed for healing with my heart and soul.

Now C4 and C5 have changed my life,

Leaving me dependent, weary from the strife;

Things once simple now feel hard to do,

And in those moments, I reach out to you.

I do not ask you to repay my love,

Nor count the sacrifices I once gave;

I only wish, when weakness comes my way,

That you would stand beside me every day.

Sometimes I wonder why I feel alone,

When all I need is warmth to call my own;

I may not always find the words to say,

But underneath my tears, I need you near.

Please do not hear accusation in my pain,

I am only asking for your love again;

I am still the man who chose you as his wife,

Still hoping we can walk through this life.

So when I whisper softly, “Why, my love?”

Please hear the wounded heart beneath the words;

I am not asking why my life has changed—

I am asking you to stay, and love me through it.

© IKECHUKWU FRANK 

-Nigeria.

“Why, My Love?” by Ikechukwu Frank is a deeply emotional poem about love, sacrifice, illness, and the need for companionship in difficult times. The speaker reflects on how he stood by his wife during her illness, offering her his time, financial support, care, faith, and prayers when doctors had little hope for her recovery. He did these things out of genuine love, without expecting anything in return.

However, the speaker later faces his own physical challenges involving C4 and C5, which have made everyday activities difficult and left him dependent on others. In his weakness, he longs for the same love, warmth, and support that he once gave his wife. His pain is not expressed as an accusation but as a sincere plea for companionship and understanding.

The poem ends with the speaker reaffirming his love and commitment to his wife. His repeated question, “Why, my love?” is therefore not really a demand for an explanation for his suffering, but an appeal for his wife to remain beside him and continue loving him through his difficult circumstances. The poem ultimately portrays love as a commitment that should endure through sickness, weakness, and hardship.