THROUGH HER sixties (For Ghana’s 63rd Independence Anniversary)

I know not many oldies
…happy to be looked down upon as hustling
…and glad to be called paupers
For age calls for more care
…after energies wane
We all know the needs of a woman
…traveling through her sixties

II
When her age travels through the sixties
…she needs more care in thoughts fair
She needs more clarity
…and voices of parity
She needs more warmth and less cold heartedness
And as she draws closer to her God
…she needs her shrine
…and not the shine in another’s vine

III
When her age travels through the sixties
She needs shame for her lames
…and not same to her maim
When her age travels through the sixties
She so needs to account for her grey
…with rays of daylight contributions
…from her passing skies:
Rains to drain her insanes
Suns to tan her pales
…and airs, to act as life support
…in her gasps

IV
But we see we in a few mes
…dragging our legs to peg a beg
And we see shes in many shadowy hes
…dying with dreams which scream for beams
We see seats in high feats
…acting as cheats to heat us as meat
…for greedy teeth
But we shout at every haunting slap
…only to clap at some trap
…mapped out in our careless naps
When Asaase Yaa dangles a sixty-three
…in an uncompromising tick tock

V
Why are we acting branches
…instead of trees in our family structures?
Why are we acting fishes
…instead of lions and lionesses
…caught by nets of clever tricksters
…in clown clothes of religion
And served on plates of deceit?
Why are we losing our skins to look like caricatures of our own selves
…hanging on shelves of low self confidence?
Why are our fences breaking
…killing minds
As patriotism calls for models?

VI
The blood of our forefathers
…hide their colours in the tears of our foremothers
The gold in our land
…now adorn the cheers of our deceitful dears
As our green vegetation die slowly
…from feeding off our poisoned rivers
How will our black star see from our muddy skies?

VII
Get up!
Help!
Arrest ills!
Need to plant
A seed to feed –
…our generations to come
What we do is the picture of our future
A chef who fails with all the best ingredients
…surely deserves the harshest punishment
…from angry eaters
Amoafowaa Sefa Cecilia © March 5, 2020