THINKING FROM THE PUBLIC TOILET

THINKING FROM THE PUBLIC TOILET

Accra is a big, buzzing city

With confusing and irritating sounds left, right & center.

From the left are needless & piercing sounds

From the sirens of police vehicles who are hastely going no where.

From the right are irritating sounds from flies by day,

And mosquitoes by night.

In the center, we have noise from children playing ‘chaskele’ & ‘pampanaa’

Coupled with that of trotro conductors shouting out to prospective passengers.

‘Kanesssh!, Kanesssh!!, Kanesssh…!!!’

Accra is totally drowned in needless noise

To the extent that mankind can barely think in comfort.

Electricity and water tariffs keep skyrocketing.

Parliamentarians keep passing bills for tax increments.

Fuel prices keep accelerating every fortnight

Like male kangaroos on heat in Australia.

Wages & salaries on the other hand remain plateaued.

Man needs to think through these cocktail of economic diarrheas

Yet, the noise pollution in the city says NO!

There is no peace of mind at home to think

Because strangulating bills and fees will just not permit you to.

There is no peace of mind in the office,

Neither is there any iota of it in the bedroom of the Pope,

Nor that of the Chief Imam.

Thinking inside the trotro is never an option.

The last time I tried,

The ‘enemy of progress’ odour from the armpit of the conductor

Caused me to forget my destination and change as well.

***

My tummy suddenly started thundering & rumbling one hot afternoon

While in the busy Central Business District of Accra.

It is arguably the noisiest part of the capital city by day.

I rushed to a nearby public toilet like a snake in labour.

Never had I visited such a facility

But circumstances reluctantly led to me to one.

I always asked myself,
'Why do users keep so long in such a smelly public place of convinience?'
I went in hoping to come out within micro seconds

But to my utmost dismay,

I found my puzzled self in there for over an hour

Despite all the stench and heat within.

The level of concentration & flow of ideas through my mind

 While in there was just awesome!

My mind was finally at rest for a long time.
It was really,really at rest.

At last, I found peace within a very noisy environment.

A rare oasis on the Sahara desert to engage my inner man in thought.

So,
Just bear in mind that,

Irrespective of how turbulent and boisterous your circumstance may be,

There is always a moment of peace within that stormy situation.

In the midst of the most noisiest of environments,

There is always a place of hush for every man

Just take pains to find it!