Death Looks Different on You - Agbleze Selorm

- dedicated to the late Alfred Kwaku Doe Agbleze

Death looks different on you
Young one that steals from the aged
They say the robbed that smiles steals from the thief
Your smile this day is theft to death
It is a baffle of the mind
It is a break of tradition
In our land
The dead young are supposed to frown
But what is this excitement behind your eyelids
What is this joy your lips can’t speak
Death is ugly
Yours is beautiful
Death is cold
Yours is warm
What is this fire within your body
What is this beauty emerging from beneath your skin
The vultures have lost their flight
There is no wind of pain to lift their wings
The women’s wail is not of pain
It is of confusion
What is this excitement that creeps into the air
What is this peace that comforts the heart
Young one that steals from the aged

Author Profile - Agbleze Selorm

Biography:

Agbleze Selorm was born in April 1987 to Mr. Geoffrey Agbleze and Ms. Akambi Esinam. Selorm is a former student of Mawuli school, Ho and is currently reading Bsc. Agricultural science in the University of Ghana, Legon. He resides at Denu, in the Volta region of Ghana and likes reading and writing poetry as well as engaging in educative discussions.

Five Questions with Agbleze Selorm:

1. Was this poem inspired by a real experience? If not, what inspiration did you draw upon?

Yes, this poem was inspired by a real experience. It was inspired by a wake keeping at which my late brother was laid in state. This was not an ordinary funeral because though he died young, not even his mother was able to feel a full level of pain. The atmosphere was filled with peace and comfort. This was a clear indication that he died “saved”.


2. We've yet to profile a poem of yours that included punctuation. Why do you choose to write without punctuation? What do you see as the benefits and drawbacks of this choice?

That is a big question. I believe that the reading of my poems is directed by line breaks and certain key words such as what, how, who, when etc. that give a tone to the poems. The breaks replace commas and full stops while the key words make sure that questions and other sentence forms are read in the right tone. The strange benefit of this style is the freedom that the words enjoy, a drawback may be the fact that this style does not obey the “rules” and may sometimes make it difficult for certain lines to be read properly.


3. Do you intend for your poems, primarily, to be read on the page, or to be performed?

Primarily, I only send my poems out for it to be read on the page so that any criticisms or observations will help carve my writing into excellence. However, a performance of any of them is a welcomed idea.


4. How important are outside editors, critics, etc. to the development of your writing?

Outside critics are the furnace, hammers and chisels that shape my writing towards an excellent standard. I believe that their various views from all angles give a summary of audiences’ thoughts about my writing. However, I always make sure that my poems in the end still carry the uniqueness I desire while preserving the message in its completeness.


5. It has been more than three since you were profiled on OGOV. What has happened in your life since then? In your writing life?

My life within the period had been filled with the demands of academics, personal growth, and entrepreneurial endeavours. I had shown little faithfulness towards poetry however, a few of my most cherished pieces were written within the period.

Contact Agbleze:

agblezes(at)yahoo.com