Kasie: Loss, Love & Life

Kasie is an Igbo word that means “be comforted”. This best explains the central theme of this book. Somehow, life and providence comfort us. The book is divided into three parts. It starts with an introduction written in the form of letters. They speak of pain and the quest for answers. Titled, ‘Flashes of Pain’, it is more about the tortured soul of a grieving dad. It captures my struggles and feelings for my daughter. Part two is titled, ‘Love’ and contains my thoughts and words about love and the many ways it manifested in my life. Part three, ‘Utopia’, contains poems related to my views on life and what life means to me. It tells the story of my life with my kids. Some of the works here are just words. They may not fit the tag of poetry but they are my unvarnished words in their rawest form. I decided to do this collection for two reasons – I do not ever want the world to forget my daughter. In these words, here, I celebrate her short life. I celebrate my love for her and the joy she brought to my heart. The second reason is that I hope that by reading this book, it may comfort those going through pain and help others to understand the pain of loss, especially the loss of a child. The biggest pain of loss is the loneliness you feel in the midst of a crowd because they cannot contemplate what you are going through. I am also hoping that the life lessons that I share, may find home in some other hearts.