Songs Of Sorrow. By Kofi Awoonor.

May the souls of Kofi Awoonor and the other 71 victims of the Westgate Shopping mall attack rest in perfect peace and may God give their families the fortitude to bear  these losses, which I know are irreplaceable. Everybody is at their tiny corners of the world and even though we empathize, condemn the evil doers, and in rare cases pray for the victims, we will never know what it feels like to be blown into billion pieces by a bomb or held hostage with guns to our heads. God forbid we ever do. Will terrorism ever stop or is it a menace that has come to stay? There is this joke about if you are asked to choose between Bill Gate's wealth and world peace, what would be the color of your Bentley? I am not even trying to sound modest here or good, but if this world peace means no random bomb attacks or no malicious and inhumane killings; if this world peace means children don't become orphans or people don't become childless all of a sudden; if this world peace means no more senseless wars; if this world peace means no more tyrants and dictators; if this world peace means no cancer or any life threatening diseases, Bill Gate's money can rot in hell, I will CHOOSE WORLD PEACE. I absolutely mean that, quote me anywhere. I hope I am not alone. To celebrate and honor a prolific poet, I had to go dig up his most popular (This is his most popular that I know) poem and put it up. It reminds me so much of secondary school/high school and how Literature was my best subject, it was where I was most comfortable; where I got did well without even making any effort :)))                                                                                                                                                                                              

Songs Of Sorrow. Kofi Awoonor                
Dzogbese Lisa has treated me thus

It has led me among the sharps of the forest

Returning is not possible

And going forward is a great difficulty

The affairs of this world are like the chameleon faeces

Into which I have stepped

When I clean it cannot go.



I am on the world's extreme corner,

I am not sitting in the row with the eminent

But those who are lucky

Sit in the middle and forget

I am on the world's extreme corner

I can only go beyond and forget.



My people, I have been somewhere

If I turn here, the rain beats me

If I turn there the sun burns me

The firewood of this world

Is for only those who can take heart

That is why not all can gather it.

The world is not good for anybody

But you are so happy with your fate;

Alas! the travelers are back

All covered with debt.



Something has happened to me

The things so great that I cannot weep;

I have no sons to fire the gun when I die

And no daughter to wail when I close my mouth

I have wandered on the wilderness

The great wilderness men call life

The rain has beaten me,

And the sharp stumps cut as keen as knives

I shall go beyond and rest.

I have no kin and no brother,

Death has made war upon our house;



And Kpeti's great household is no more,

Only the broken fence stands;

And those who dared not look in his face

Have come out as men.

How well their pride is with them.

Let those gone before take note

They have treated their offspring badly.

What is the wailing for?

Somebody is dead. Agosu himself

Alas! a snake has bitten me

My right arm is broken,

And the tree on which I lean is fallen.



Agosi if you go tell them,

Tell Nyidevu, Kpeti, and Kove

That they have done us evil;

Tell them their house is falling

And the trees in the fence

Have been eaten by termites;

That the martels curse them.

Ask them why they idle there

While we suffer, and eat sand.

And the crow and the vulture

Hover always above our broken fences

And strangers walk over our portion. 


2 comments

  1. I am with you in the choice of world peace. That's also an intense poem you dug up,it got me all teary. Yeah yeah it also gave me a flash back of our literture classes in which you were sure good. I align myself with your stand on this. Good work

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  2. Lol, thanks Chika for affirming how good I was :p lol and also for stopping by :)

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