Prof. Kofi Anyidoho – An Ode

In you I see a harvest
…a harvest of our dreams
For you’re the earthchild with the ancestral logic
You’re the owner of wise songs
Magnanimous in trading them to those who seek
You’re the palm branch with great wine
Which turns hopeless patriotical thirst
…into a hopeful one
Even through the frying of wicked squatters
…whose stomachs are all they seek
All a nation needs is to tap from your greatness!

II
You’re a warrior
…a warrior who defeats hunger and hatred and shatters ignorance
…with ammunition of truth
You’re a human god
…a human god who postpones death
…to act commander in chief of peace
…in order to parade freedom
Even through the horrors of scrutiny
A mighty god long blessed you
One who stood tall through the anger of storms
…through the burns of critical suns
…through the pelts of rains
…and through sharp cuts of poisonous stumps
Empowering you to stand tall as a stalwart of knowledge
Fighting for the place we call home

III
And so I call you Fofoga, the Warrior King
… who reduces night hunters to naught!
Oh I call you the Nyansasie
…whose anthills will forever shelter our minds
…and prevent the rot of ignorance from touching a vein
…if only we will submit
I call you the living legend whose impacts sweep
…the dirty halls of buffoons
And act calcium to strengthen the bones of willing learners

IV
A waste is praise sprinkled on a silent voice
So I make my painting of you my choice
Now that your tongue holds the power of laughter
And your teeth obeys your mouth in smiles
I dress you in thanks for your hard work
Now that your heart knows your head
And your thoughts can process my words
I adorn you with felicitations for your selflessness
Now that your head knows nods
And your eyes know its shine
I put on you lavender of gratefulness
For you’ve done all that a living god will do and some
…in this lifetime
Amoafowaa Sefa Cecilia © July 26, 2021 for Prof. Kofi Anyidoho, Mentor and Lecturer