THE HAUNTING WAKE

There is smoke from our mukaase’s mukyia
Paapa sits in front of our mud house receiving nkyia
Kwaku runs after the naughty abrekyie
As Ewuraa follows him with her eyes with its you’re-child-like anikyie
Kwabena dreams of becoming a Katakyie
…so he tries to mirror Paapa even as the rest of the kids play antowankyire

II
Maame is cooking in a kukuo
I am cracking palm nuts whose fruits gave both ngu and angwa added onto nkwan
Wofa Kwabena Boateng is going to the farm early to shape the afuomkwan
There is nothing like dede and unnecessary nisuo
The only evening noise comes from pounding abɛ and fufuo
The rivers feed us nsu gurunyiii
Our own farms feed us till we’re pampiii

III
The sky gives all our ahiadie
The earth gives us all including atosodie
We give out ntoosi for mako
And give back bankye for kako
We have strong, healthy and homebred nkokɔ
Though akromah swoops down to hunt their mma
…they sometimes fight fair or accept their fate like real mmaa
We have strong, ready and helpful mpɔnkɔ
…whose only wishes are love whips and yɛnkɔ
We live humbly and happy in asomdwoe

IV
In the evenings, Nana Pokuaa tells us anansesɛm
Making our minds roam from Ɔkɔrekrom to Menpɛasɛm
The bushes roof our adan
The trees help earth’s clay to build our nɔtidan
Plants and trees heal us through their nhahan
As debris from the forest helps us build ɛban
…to protect our nnɔbae
We pacify and perfom apae
…to sanctify our asaase and to observe Nananom nkae
There is always in our attitudes, sereɛ
…anigyeɛ
…adɔyɛ
…and mpɔyɛ

V
A loud stereo blasts to wake me from my sleep
Into this chaos which makes me weep
The trees are being replaced by the buildings they once protected
The rivers are being gagged by those whose parents they once fed
All these changes kill too many of us as noise replaces the once upon a time serenity
Fake gods are imposed as the only true immunity
…to a built Satan never seen but always blamed
One who prayers have before, tamed
…and shamed
But still resurrect to get many affected
…by his deeds
There are no dignified chiefs who rule without mischief
There are only foreigners painted black acting many a thief
And money is the ultimate chief
Ruling hearts and minds and souls and many a spirit
It is scary, so scary, this cacophonous orbit
Such a rude awakening!
So so sickening!
Amoafowaa Sefa Cecilia © June 9, 2021