APPIATSE, BOGOSO

It is painful enough
When one who has been in the chambers of sickness
…descends death’s dungeons

II
It is painful enough
When those who go in search of their daily meals
Are forced to drown down death’s waters

III
It is somehow unpardonable,
Horrible,
Sympathetic,
And unforgivable
If people in the comfort of their homes
…with those with curious eyes and ignorant minds
Are forced into death’s daunting dungeons
Due to the negligence of some
Kusɛ o, Appiatse, Bogoso!

IV
We are all to blame
Those of us who stood and still stand to watch dangers parading without safety clothes
We are all to blame
The officials acting ostriches where eagles must be
We are all to blame
The leaders shielding the ostriches against the thunders of the right sky
We are all to blame
The workers knowing the rules but acting sheep
…sent to the slaughter house just for mere crumbs
We are all to blame
We are all to blame!
So mouths shouting sympathies should shut for reflection

V
Why do we wait for sinful examples in order to try redemption?
Why do we look on and write off disasters
Until we are engulfed by their prowess?
Why do we love the sound of tears
…before we push to battle our fears?
Now Appiatse is no more
Dead by minutes’ telltale

VI
Imagine the sick, sleeping and the thinking
…caught unawares in their own homes
Think of the working and the explorers
…caught unawares in their fields
And think of the children in schools
…left unfetched by their unfortunate parents!
Due ooooo, Appiatse, Bogoso

VII
May our minds locate the right enclaves of our heads
And our hearts find their right spots on our chests!
May our thoughts mark mistakes made yesterday
And our sympathies stand to work for a never repeat
May the nation cry to rectify our follies
As our bodies shiver in unfathomable fright
It could be you
It could be me
It could be us made fuel for the explosives
Hurt, maimed or dead
…on that broken stretch
Of Appiatse, Bogoso
Amoafowaa Sefa Cecilia © January 21, 2021
In rememberance of the victims of the Appiatse, Bogoso explosion, which took lives and made hundreds of casualties. May the hurt find healing and the dead find rest.