THE PIGS HAVE MUDDIED OUR WATER(Tribute to the late Prof. Kofi Awoonor)

THE PIGS HAVE MUDDIED OUR WATER

Ouch..! Ajei..! What…! Like seriously…?

Those were the shocking reactions

Our peaceful ear drums woke up to that black day

Saturday, September 21^st

A certain disoriented & psychologically malnutrioned Al-shabab

Have tragically severed the roots

From the stem of our mighty baobab tree

Our swift-flowing river of academia & diplomacy

Has been muddied by the shameless boots pigs

Lamentations & dirges have hijacked

Our azonto tunes & dance steps

The heartless builders have cut down our shady tree

And planted a huge senseless cathedral of doom

Professor Kofi Awoonor!

Proud grandson of Togbe Sri & Togbe Adeladza

Your priceless works & diplomatic legacies

Lay naked before our very eyes & hearts

Like a dog in Bolgatanga market

Your contribution to academia

Can only be compared to the sea of sand

On the Sahara, Arabian, Atacama, Gobi & Kalahari deserts combined

You were a one-man-in-thousand

Now, you are a thousand-men-in-one

Our tear glands are not resourced enough

To supply our traumatized eyes with enough tears to express our sorrow

Our tongues are not long enough

To wail & sufficiently utter our heartfelt grief

You left your mother, Ghana in peace

But your sister, Kenya brought you back in pieces

No matter how deep your mortal body is buried in the earth

Your great works shall continue to grow

Like the magical beans stalk in ‘Jack & the beans stalk’

You fought a good fight

Now it’s time to take a bow from the stage of life

Rest beyond the river, Prof

Rest peaceably in the bosom of the Maker

Be at home in the household of Moses & Father Abraham

Rest in perfect peace!

For you will never walk alone!!!

IT WAS MY FIRST TIME

IT WAS MY FIRST TIME

I remember my first time day out of my mum’s womb

It was on August, 1st at 23 hours GMT in a taxi

Everyone around was excited but was expecting me to cry

I never did

A midwife hit me on the buttocks to cry

And weeee …..

I wee-weed on her face with a smile

That was my first smile & wee-wee too

***

 I remember my first day in school

I was just 7 months by then at Mercy Day Care Center

I got to the school with my dad in a sleepy mood

He left me crying in the hands of a pretty lady

The lady told me not to cry and asked what I wanted

I pointed straight to her chest

I wanted the milk stored in the container on her chest

She looked at me in amazement & nodded in disapproval

Well, it wasn’t my fault though

 Because I thought she was my new mum

Besides, my dad never told me the place was called a ‘school’

And that the pretty lady was a ‘teacher’

Don’t blame for that

Because that was my first time in school

***

I remember the first time I received a love letter

It was from a very gorgeous girl back in school

Her sweet name started with the letter ‘E’

I shivered instantly when I had the letter

Out of overexcitement, I couldn’t open the letter up till I got home

I headed straight to the public toilet to read it

That was the only place where I was assured full privacy

I started reading the letter & within some few minutes

I felt something within my shorts resurrecting from its slumber

It took me over an hour to finish reading a one & half-page letter

I read it like a government-approved text book for WAEC exams

By the time I was done reading

My shorts had been soaked in a mysterious substance that felt like starch

I thought the content of the letter had made me sick

Don’t blame me though

It was my first time

***

I remember my first kiss

It was around 10pm behind a blue tailoring shop

She saw people kissing in ‘Acapulco Bay’ so she wanted us to try

She protruded her lips & like a sheep being led to the abattoir

I gladly stretched out mine too

She asked me to close my eyes which I merrily did

I wonder if it was even a kiss since it lasted less than 2 seconds

Our lips touched & in less than 2 seconds

I felt a mighty hand had hooked my shorts

I immediately turned round to find out whom that ‘enemy of progress’ was

And guess who it was….???

It was her father…!!!

Don’t blame for my naivety

Because they were my first time

What were your first times like…???

IT'S NEVER FAR FROM YOU...!!!

IT’S NEVER FAR FROM YOU

It’s been over a score & some few years

Since I became a tenant of this wild, wild planet

From a distance, my ears have beheld countless events

My eyes have witnessed numerous & unimaginable misfortunes

I always thought bad things only happen to bad people

I knew I was immune from all these calamities

Because I knew I was a good man within & without

Kuuku’s father suddenly lost his job

 But I thought mine was too skillful to encounter that fate

Olembe & Selorm had been combing for job opportunities

Since they both graduated five years ago

I never gave a thought to their situation

Because I knew that could never happen to me

At the age 40, Haruna is still struggling to get a woman to settle down with

Olivia has been writing the same exams for the past 3 years without success

Our next door neighbour’s son is almost 3 years

Yet he’s unable to even pronounce his own name properly

I see orphans & the underprivileged every now & then on the streets

But their plights hardly attract my attention

These incidents are pitiful

But I never picturised myself or anyone closer to me in such situations

I always thought I was exempted

Little did I know that the earth does not sit idle in space

It continually rotates & revolves around the sun

I never ever imagined my good self in Olivia’s shoes

But today, I find myself writing, rewriting & re-rewriting my social studies paper

If I’m not mistaken, the next sitting will be my forth

I’m pretty sure the examiner is even familiar with my name & handwriting by now

Countless situations have occurred to people so dear to me

That I barely imagined could ever happen

A lot of water has gone under the bridge

Times & seasons have changed from the genesis of creation

Yet, the same ancient principles that governed the earth remain unchanged

It took me awhile & a bit of pain to realize this

Irrespective of where one finds himself on the fortune ladder

He should always cushion himself against the unforeseen

Whether good or bad

Because as mortal as we are

NOTHING IS FAR FROM US….