WHY AN AKOKƆ TURNED KƆNKUKU

Do you know why Kɔntutu has a kɔnkuku?
Once upon a time, aboa Kɔnkuku
…was a normal Akokɔ
He lived like a king until his parents turned into Bronya nkokɔ
Sad and dejected, he decided to kill himself
And so he went to buy a rope for that cause

II
He tried first to hang himself on a dua
But his owners acted fast like lightning to cut off the dua
He tried another in his nkokɔ buo
But his other inmates cried about his actions for owuo
And pecked him loose
He succeeded only with few neck feather loss

III
Until he tried it again one anɔpa
…on a very old and thorny abɛ dua
As he hanged, the thorns acted as needles
…hurting him deep with their pricks
Until pain forced him to use his wings
To fly to a safe distance while he sang sad songs

IV
Before a palm wine tapper saw him on that dua
…all his neck feathers had come off turning him into a kɔnkuku
The palm wine tapper did free him
But his neck feathers made him look like an ostrich
Scarring his generation forever with ridicules
He couldn’t kill himself after that
…because he loved using his wings
…no matter how tiring it was

V
His story tells us all
…that when you are in need, don’t kill yourself
For you know not the charm you possess
…until you strive to explore all your strengths
That is the reason a normal Akokɔ
…turned into a kɔnkuku
Amoafowaa Sefa Cecilia © October 23, 2021