T'in ba ti lo

What if I say, that I had not cried yet. That since your life slipped away from the grip of our world I had been unsure on how to feel. Really, nothing can ever prepare you for the death of a loved one. "The good die young" has always sounded a clitche to me up until now. Ife's path and mine crossed at an early stage of his life and through his growth one thing stayed constant, his energy.

Energy; Ife's energy was a burning one. Fire enough to allow you see with it and safe enough to keep you warm. He was always ready, ready to play his role at all times. With that name he always answered present to, Agu Victor. I can remember calling out his name in AHSO Square for roll calls, so I saw first hand how he answered to his name. And we all saw the way he kept the same energy and answered to his name when life's adversity struck. "Death smiles at us all, all a man can do is smile back". Cancer took one of his legs and called out to know if he could still answer, but ife stood on two feet and with an invictus voice he echoed his name. Ife, both during and before cancer was a boy filled with light, contented, always placing others before himself even on a sick bed. Ife was very unique,  but in his life you could visibly see the compilation of virtues and character which he adopted from many others whom he looked up to. You could say that his life is a sound, paying tribute to so many melodies.

Sound; Ife as we all know was a master of sounds. If music were to be a heavenly language most of us would need translators when we get there but not Ife. And unlike him I can't really decipher solfa notes by just listening to sounds, but I was able hear the different melodies that made up his sound. Just by being around him I could see and hear others in him. He takes a liking of others and shows appreciation by making it a part of himself. So today we are paying tribute to someone who has lived a life of tribute. For to like something enough of another to make it a piece of himself is an almost indescribably beautiful tribute. Ife's life and sound was deeply rooted on the acceptance that he needed us and we are here today to say to him "we need you more"

Need you; I have always needed ife, maybe when we were younger I couldn't realize it. But getting older and understanding how time affects everything,  you start appreciating people that stick around. This life is a desert and ife was that friend who believes the oasis in his friends even before he gets to see his. Ife,  usually you're the first person to read any of my writings, and in some way I feel like you're doing it now as well. So you probably know that the words that begin each paragraph of this write up is a fireboy song. This is not to presume that our burna/ fireboy banter is over it's just a little thing to tickle your fancy. I love you nwanne, you really made us proud. The next paragraph is a verse from a fire boy song that you once sang while here.

🎶 Remember me...t'in ba ti lo, of the mountains that I have climbed, traveled between space and time . Tell them my story , my struggle,  and my glory.  Don't leave anything behind (remember me). Tell them of the songs I sang, that I was not a lonely man. Tell that I lived my life with kindness in my eyes and love in my heart.  And I hope they would remember me, T'in ba ti lo 🎶