UNTIL IT WASN'T!

 

UNTIL IT WASN'T!

It started out as a game;

Money as gain, and added fame. 

Twenty contestants to contend,

And only one winner to present.

Time and tide passed,

Each other's secrets we shared.

In a bid to know each other better,

None of our truths or lies did we butter.

It was a game...until it wasn't!

The metallic smell of blood was the alarm,

The body in the closet with the throat slit, the buzzer.

Hard to believe, but we were in for a shocker!

As expected, panic was awoken;

“How did this happen?!” the question spoken.

Each passing hour, we trod in fear,

And by every second, we drowned in our tears.

Time and tide passed,

Each other's tears we wiped.

In a bid to comfort each other,

We all stuck together.

We all stuck together, until we didn't.

The voice of the one who strayed was the alarm;

Her head bashed against the bathroom sink, the buzzer.

Even harder to believe, we couldn't find the murderer.

“By now you must have realized, you're not in a game,”

That's what we heard over the PA system.

“No, you're all here for a reason.”

We murmured amongst each other, trying to reason.

“This isn't a game, it's your death sentence.”

We argued; no one had the right to such judgment!

And then there was a groan behind–

We turned and found another body, with the side stabbed.

“Go ahead and argue, it'll be you next!”

Our mouths went shut, but someone went next still.

And someone after that person too.

And of course, someone after that person too!

Time and tide passed;

Not like we had an idea how much time passed.

With a new death came a new week;

The scent of blood became our calendar.

We learnt that it was a revenge scheme,

Certainly not a game nor a walk to fame.

It was revenge for things we failed to do;

Revenge for times we failed to respond without ado.

We questioned how sick a person could be;

How twisted one person could be. 

And then we questioned their right to be mad,

And told ourselves we had no obligation to them.

But we did, and we failed!

We could have been there when we were needed. 

We could have been there to comfort them;

We could have been there to grant them succor...but we failed!

Seventeen weeks have passed.

Yes! You guessed right; seventeen people have passed.

With just three of us left,

There's only one lesson ringing in my head as I await my death.

I'm not obliged to help anybody,

But in my next life, I'll be there for everybody.

I'll be there for everybody who needs me,

And I'll be the shoulder on which they can lean.

—Onwumah Ozed

©2020