The Loss
The pillar of the house is broken down
The lion has been called home
All wears a gloomy face
Who will make us wise again?
The tales of the wise by moonlight
The scold when our excessive burgled in
The treat of barbeque and the game
Who will champion the wild excitement?
The father of the whole world is gone
Now I am so lonely without comfort
Like a fish lost in the river the sky wept for me
May I ever find a compass again in life?
©Lawal Olajide
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
This poem is a dirge which mourns the demise of the poet’s benefactor. It is a sad poem which the poet uses to lament his predicament.
He introduces the deceased as the person who holds the family in place. He also compares the deceased to a lion who rules the home with so much courage. He states that he will be missed because of the role he played in their lives.
The poet also drew attention to the stories he told them, the kind rebuke when they did wrong, the constant give of goodies which the children love and all the exciting moments they shared together.
The poet draws the attention to the fact that he extends his love beyond his family. He emphasize the fact that he would miss the company of the deceased. He compares himself to a fish lost in the river and see himself in a pitiable situation to say even the sky wept with him.
As in the preceding stanzas, he uses rhetorical questions to emphasized the extent of his loss.
FIGURES OF SPEECH
METAPHOR
The pillar of the house is broken down
The lion has been called home
RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
Who will make us wise again?
Who will champion the wild excitement?
May I ever find a compass again in life?
PERSONIFICATION
The scold when our excessive burgled in
HYPERBOLE
The father of the whole world is gone
SIMILE
Like a fish lost in the river the sky wept for me
FORM
A twelve line poem divided into three Quatrains
Unprecedented 