The Poetry Marathon

THE TWELVE HOURS

When at the eleventh hour,
The final whistle travels by the air.
The workaholics stand to the podium!

The podium becomes a pinnacle
For the survivors
Once my eyes stuck on the screen
As I laid beside the rippling river to the east

Silently I gazed in the sky
For I sat on countless hours
That the clock may chime one o’clock!

Leaves wobbling through the woods
That they might fall on my forehead
As I finally opened the gifted casket
Then I recap a tone from a throne
That to gain is to sacrifice

The nightingale whispers
Through the air into my ears
Telling me of a poetry marathon

Yes! The twelve
And the twenty four hours journey!
A Journey I then chose
From the jingling of my veins!
The Half marathon!

(C)2015 All Rights Reserved
Kofi Acquah

—–THE TONGUE OF
THE CALABASH—–

The clock chimes six o’clock
As I sit in red palms
Under a village hut unlocked
As the palm wine is sipped in dots
From my empty belly stock
To make their feet spread the dust
I leave indelible sounds
In ”bara drums”
For I fade my throat
At a malian durbar!
Till a bleach invade my skin
Warm yellow I do still remain
Till with age and use I vanish
”Shegureh” I do still remain
By the hands of a sierra leonean
Till I am shrouded
I still count the ”Tourou women” hairs
That I’m a headgear!
With all my blessings
In the forest must I be hidden?
O! Africa!
The warehouse of the seeker!
When the universe stood from words
Then I began swinging on trees for the best
That my people shall be fed
For I bow before you with ease!
Let not the black soil repent
As I charge your souls
To rise over the fence
I hold my tongue!
Kofi Acquah—–(C)2015
All Copyrights Reserved

—-THE HUSTLER—–

Just when his ear
Catches the waves of the cock crow
He wakes up sparing his teeth
He walks from afar on the street
Just when he’s sacked from a wooden piece

”Eno be now oo” Is the term
Sun shines,rain falls
Yet his coins he holds firm
He gathers ’em like the weeds
But the owner comes for it in turn

Tears drop and fast dry
Lice lick his intestines
All energy now fly
But changing positions of people’s assets
He never tried

His sweats fall on leafless tree
And his water is bitter like the ”nim-tree”

He receives the best of promises
Yet same heartache he feels
The same yam he peels
But wait! He’s got a wall to lean
Yes! No matter what he feels–a day shall pay!
”The MAKER heals”

(Kofi Acquah)

(C)All Copyrights Reserved-2015

—-BADIAKO—-
(The Warrior)

As the cowries are spread by the priest
Akok) as3nky3 so b) nguan bun ho
Rekekamu—-

Orusu nyininsuwa tsiatsia mu
Osiand3,onyim d3
)renky3r!
It shall soon visit the ancestors—-

Ana dza woehu,nye dza w’atse yi
Should you discharge her
Do you think it would return?
Daabi da!
Na s3 h3n nnyim owu a,
H3n nnhw3 nda so—-

O,who shall be spared by the sword,
And return to sleep in the thorns?
)kokodurfo Badiako
Faa ne 3ngyan d3
Nky3 dza obehyia biara no
)dze b3y3 ha nam ama ne se
Na )ba no d3n,
Ma aboa nts3tsia mpo
Dze n’ekyir aka famu yi?

Barima a,itur tow ”KIIIMMM” a,
)b)twer wo bo
Ma )gye—– ”KEKRAW”
Barima a,etow bobaa kor dze kum apem
Ah!…)kofo Badiako—–

Mbaayewa no b) wo dzin ko wo ho
Osiand3,,nyimpab)n tu wo man do sa a,
)wo nnko,na eko gye wo man—-
Ay3bi,)kofo Badiako

(C)2015 All Rights Reserved
Kofi Acquah

~~BIRDS AND MAN~~

The articulations of birds of the sky are sweet
No infobahn,yes but they tweet
Like the carnal already on heat
They neither spew the dutch nor the greek
Yet they convey their speech

Who might be on their street?
Always making sure they live
Had it not been Him?I hallucinate!
They neither sow nor reap
For they still chow down to their feel

How much more you
Nothing but a domineer
Now man is enlivened by the breeze
So ”wise up”!and to your maker give heed
Again,mortals are prized than birds

”Let us make man in our image”said Thee
Should nothing be first,
Man wouldn’t appear like Thee
Hence man is preeminent than birds!

(Kofi Acquah)
(C)2015 All Copyrights Reserved

______THE EGO TRIP OF AFRICA______

I lit the last candle for ”imani”(faith)
For the moon
Has shadowed the sun
On the final night of ”kwanzaa”_______

For thousands of years
History and faith
Have been expressed in::
Art,music,storyand song

O Africa! Black is your beauty
You tell the world of it through your birth
Red is the blood of your ancestors
And green,the fertility of your land________

The presence of the white pawder
Forces this land of our pride
To undergo
In the last generation change
But as we sit
Beside the ”3sutsen” to comb our hair_____

We continue to celebrate our joys
And uphold ourselves
In troubled times
With our tradition and faith

(C)2015 All Rights Reserved
Kofi Acquah

____THE HUNTER____
‪‬
He’s loaded with his tools
Praying to even see a hoof
He enters the darkest bush
Just to survive with a standing tooth!—
‪‬
When the dew made no stay
My eyes travelled to his feet
And spied the footprints
Of his ”b)d)w 3wu”____

That night all failed
So he brought home
Not even a snail
O, mboa nyina k) atwee
Na m3y3d3n edzidzi_____

He cried out loud
The forest starves his throat
For the land goddess has dried his ”b)t)” up
Wife and children cry not even blood____

Sleeplessly they all lie
Under that transformed hut
Whiles the sun scorches
Hardly on their tongues
I can hear his songs
Sung on today’s mat
So if the hunter would knash his teeth
And kill his breath___

The same land
Shall carry him on her breast
Why not supplement his works
And double the weak steps?

For should the bush animals live in ecstacy
Wouldn’t the hunter even catch ’em
With his hands?
And spare his gadgets?
I hereby come to squat in the jungle
To only pour my ink
To clean the blood on the logs!

(C)2015 All Copyrights Reserved
Kofi Acquah

—–KING OF ZION SAVES—–

Behind Him or infront of Him
He sees through
Even the darkest abyss!
Even sheol lies plain before Him
How much more
The human heart!
No secret is hidden before Him—–

He sprinkles His sweats on the lost
To feel the morning dew!
Once you stepped in like a boss
And stood still not in dismay
As strong as a rod-
In your own eyes
But I say you were lost!

If you would now hold the torch
And see not to stumble at a rock
If you would now love the law
And take the cutlass and follow
I say you are His weapon!
Wise were they not
So did they fought–

They welcomed sin
And became her dogs
Elevating the owner to buy ’em for a song
Though ignorantly!
But I say,unless you come to Zion
You are lost!

—outside_zion—
Healing checked! Miracle checked!
But the innocent soul’s sins
Are left!
Why?
And can’t be unchecked too
Unless the grace
Descend from above!

Oh! But the innocent soul
Also still eagerly seek salvation
I say! Unless you come to Zion
Where The Originator dwells!
Saving ! For only there, sin flees!
Just by the twinkle of an eye

(C)2015 All Copyrights Reserved
‪Kofi_Acquah

—–ASAASE PA—–
( ‪#good_land‬)

She opens her mouth wide
To swallow every seed
O’! The land of my birth!
This land brings forth ”bankye” na ”bor3dze”
To silence the intestines
At the last hour

Colour green elevates her fertility
And so cultivation lick
her belly infinity!
She give souls the energy–ability to walk boldly
Under the sun with gentility—–

Render agriculture impotent
And lives would be half-baked!
For when a pen can’t roll
In the palms of some souls
The cutlass
Fill the belly to the brim on the land!

O’! Asaase ber!
You welcomed our great grand fathers
To sip from your face!—–

At last truncated the hunger of the village
When currency was far from home
Now you serve the nation as a whole
For your products call the papers
To bring back home greater income
That makes you and I
Enjoy the show!

(C)2015 All Rights Reserved
Kofi Acquah

—–WILD FALCONS—–

Within the spate of the day
The stony hearted falcons
Train to trace their prey

They add to and multiply with haste
The looks and demeanor of the day
That they spread their wings in darkness—–

Never do they stretch their necks backward
To see and suck the thick milk flowing and packed
For they never mind
They never casted their eyes on the brighter shadows
Let alone the fallen words

For they say;

”The best are our doings
Even if it’s a coup’ lets group
We swim in the sea of boredom
Yet we won’t droop
Take away your law
Lest we break your jaw”

They pamper blasphemy
Strap it to their backs
To sip on the journey of thirst!
Forced to stressing on your past flaws
So you fall
Yes! So you fall to put up their wings

All these I saw
Just when the bell rang in my ears
That seeing them I am vigillant!
”They are the Wild Falcons”

(KOFI ACQUAH)

(C)All Copyrights Reserved-2015