AN ODE TO THE ASUMDWEHENE!

(Written after the death of the late President, John Evans Atta Mills)

WHY? WHY?

WHY does death come like a thief in the night?

Why do the best ones die first?

Why? Why?

A mighty oak has fallen,

Chopped down by the hands of death.

The Asumdwehene* has gone to the ancestors.

Why? Why?

The gentle man with comforting words,

Humble disposition,

Welcomed around the world but at home “Huuum”!

Even the Good book says “a Prophet is not honoured in his own town.

He has shaken the dust of this town off his feet without defeat.

Why? Why?

Why did we have to wait until death put his icy hands on him,

Before giving citations and heaping praises on him.

His heart can no longer burst with joy and pride,

Why? Why?

Mother Earth has claimed her son,

Mother Earth has taken him away.

Only God knows why.

Why? Why?

Asumdwehene look down with kindness upon us from the heavens,

Your mark has been made.

Your stamp embossed in the books of time,

Never to be erased

Your name will be forevermore on the lips of the people,

Long after the ballot boxes have been emptied and packed away.

Why? Why?

Asumdwehene –

Our King of Peace has gone to his ancestors.

But his name will live on!

Eey!

Why? Why? Why?

(*Asumdwehene - King of Peace)

(C) Mariska Taylor-Darko

LOVE IS SOMETHING SWEET

Love is something sweet

Something strange,

It comes in many different languages

But means the same

Feels the same

No matter where you go.

The far away look in your eyes when you think of that special person,

The warmth inside not caused by outside heat,

The anxious wait for time to pass,

Time which somehow drags on and on,

Like a turtle on its feet.

What is it that makes you feel love so much?

There is no age limit to this feeling,

The young feel it,

The old feel it,

The rich and poor feel it,

Every living being feels it.

Time stands still,

Sounds disappear,

All you remember is the feeling,

That sweet feeling of love,

That you wish would never end,

Love really is something sweet!

OBAAHENMAA (QUEEN MOTHER)

Obaahenmaa,
Mother of the people
The voice of the voiceless
The giver of life
You swore to be available morning, noon or night

Tufuhenmaa
the village will suckle on your breast
the get life giving food
you should comfort the weeping
from day break until they are sleeping

Obaahenmaa,
you should light a flame
In the young girls hearts
be a role model
before their motherhood starts

Tufuhenmaa
Ye gena ma wu
maameaye
Ye sore ma wu
titipan titipan bre bre bre bre

Obaahenmaa,

heavy is the head that wears the crown

but you wear it well

Mother of the children

make them proud

and stand out from within the crowd

The Dream

Why do I ache for you all the time?

You were just a dream

But when I awoke it felt real to me

And now all I do is force my memory to remember what you looked like in the dream

And how you felt

And how you looked at me

As I go about my daily moves

I feel like someone watching me

When I look up I seem to think

That you were behind me

I shake my head and say to my self

I must be dreaming

I must be getting mad

How can a dream bother me the way you are bothering me

I look up from my window one day

And standing in front of me

Is the person who made me feel that ache

Feel that that craziness

Feel that confusion

Standing in front of me

Beckoning to me

Is the person in my dream.

THE OTHER WOMAN

Who is the other woman?

The one who loved totally and got back partially

The one who waited and understood when no understanding was given

The one who hoped when there seemed to be no hope

The one who cried when there was no one around

The one who prayed but knew that the answer would be long in coming

The one who could not complain when time together was short

In case you forced the cards into the other hand

The one who listened to “am I not here with you” and had no answer

Why then be the other woman?

Because the love was snatched before the mind could think

The feelings expressed before the heart could catch up

The sweetness of the moment overshadowing sensibilities

The tenderness overwhelming

The friendship overpowering

The promises confusing

The love felt so sweet that you felt there was hope

But the waiting makes your heart ache

Your mouth dry

Your pressure rise

And still you live in hope

One day when sense overcomes dreams

Dreams that may or may not materialize

When pain has exhausted itself

And loneliness so familiar you give it a name

That day you will want to eat out of the same bowl

That day you will want to share the same bed

That day after the heart has long bled

the other woman will want to become the only woman