My First Experience with Death: I was 11
Her Name was Omonigho
Omonigho was beautiful, smart, and very organized
She would occasionally miss school
But we were all used to it
On resumption day, we returned for JSS2
We were all filled with excitement
We all exchanged experiences from our summer holiday
But one person was missing. Omonigho
Only this time, she wasn’t coming back
We got word that Omonigho was no more
And just like that, she was gone
I never understood what that meant
Omonigho was my first proof of concept for death
I had known Omonigho since we were in primary school
We all knew she was sick, and the teachers always gave her special treatment
She was my introduction to sickle cell anemia
But Omonigho was strong
She fought really hard for her place in the world
She was resilient
And I always admired her and how she managed to keep a smile
Now and then, I remember Omonigho.
And it fills me with deep questions about the frailty of life
And I wonder what her life could have been today
I’m not sure I ever really grieved her at the time; I just knew I felt eerie.
Death comes for us all.
I just wish Omonigho had more time
It’s been 20 years, and here I am still grieving my first death
But I take solace in the idea that Omonigho is in a better place
Life is truly not linear…
WRITTEN BY DANNY
