When I think of the energetic songs which caught ears
And the patriotic chants which shot fears
When I think of the natural beauty we exchange for artificial
Forcing our lives to be superficial
I cry the rhythms of those who sang
And mourn the sweats of those who chanted to ward off many a fang
II
We reiterated our love for the birds
And called attention to many a jealous
But when our audiences came to see
The birds left us only with fecal pavements
Making us fools in front of our revered
…who with sneers, our self esteem severed
Only to sneak in to use our nights
…as blankets to keep warm and keep off sights
Soiling our beautiful trees with their odour
Now we are at sea
For we can open not our eyes at night to see and cage them
Neither do they fly our days to be hunted
What shall we do?
III
We want the beauty of their feathers
And the excitement of their flight
We need their language with the skies
…and their homage from the land
We need the sharpness of their claws
…and the digging of their beaks
But we always end up with only their droppings
…on our pavements
As they continuously barber our trees
…into baldness, leaving only the brushes of their blankets
What should we do?
IV
We’ve tried to stay through nights
…but sleep of disagreements burn our wicks
…masking potency with darkness
…to protect these birds whose absenting presence force many of us to change colours
So we live with only talks we never walk
And cry mere tears which never stain to hurt
What at all can we do?
I guess we will continuously bark like cowardly dogs
To wake and flame anxieties and fears
…which will always guide us in our tracks
Never to take actions
…begging for our attention
Pitiable sadness is now our cloth
…sewn to enhance our inabilities
Amoafowaa Sefa Cecilia © February 6, 2021
Mum Cee 