WHAM! – An Ode to An Oman That Mourned

The cock just crowed
The dew just slowed
Time just mellowed
The sun just woke
Realisation just stroke
Thoughts in my mind just rolled
Reality rudely woke
Put my mind in thinking mode
Ei, it is so true
Can’t deny again no more
The Omanhene goes home
To his ancestors join
From Odomankoma his passage procured
Ten days, and then seven
Processing took
Time just became due

The King goes home
We can do no more
His place not here
His abound so far

Asomdwehene
Nantie yie
Damirifa due
Due due ni amanihunu

For Sikaman that mourned
Our sensibility found
In sadness we gathered
Our senses hitherto shattered
Vituperations evaporated
Tintinnabulations abated
Punches airborne pulsated
Yet collectively we moderated
Found us our heart
Found us our soul
Found us our Sikamanness
Found us our true Bibininess
Found that though we speak
As are fruits from different trees
We share one root
We shared one y3funu
We all exited the womb
Of Ama Ghana!

WHAM!
Say it in Mugabeman
Say it not in Mugabeman
Trepidation ensues
Confusion emanates
WHAT!
Said it in Sikaman
Happened in Attakrom
Diawuoman rose up
Jerrykope united
Limanntanga acted
Acheampongmanso decided
Busiachi enacted
Kotokaman consolidated
Osagyefokrom shone the way
Yet again
Showed that the spirit
That made
The land of
Danquah
Akuffo
Akuffo-Addo
Afrifa
Ako-Adjei
Ofori-Atta
Obetsebi-Lamptey
The shining star of Abibiman
The land of
Yaa Asantewaa
Kwegyir-Aggrey
Prempeh
Preman-Ntow
Anokye
Adu-Boahene
Paa Grant
Annan
Ansah
Baako
Ankomah
Dumor
Atongo
Ahortovie
Tetteh
Mensah
Kofi
Effe
Nunekpeku
This land
Your land
My land
This immortal spirit
Of our ancestors
That lives and
Breathes in us
This collective
Together
Came
Up
Permeated
Every
Cloak
That divided us
And we found
It
A
Permeable
Screen

Mpanyinfuo bu b3 bi s3
Y3 su mpo a
Y3 gyae 3him
Though we cry
We pause to blow
Our nose
You cannot cry
And think

So permit me
To pause and think
To put my crying
On abeyance
Albeit for a second
And ask you
To consider

WHAM!

What Happened After Mills!

We showed that we
Can be one
In thought
In speech
In deed
In action

The King goes home today

And on Monday
Though we mourn on
We lift up the pieces
And we move on

Shall we move on
As we did before
The Black Tuesday?

Shall we move on
As though nothing touched us?

Opanyin Obama
Kasa

"So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism;
Of service and responsibility
where each of us resolves to pitch in
And work harder and
Look after not only ourselves,
But each other.
Let us remember that
We rise or fall as one nation;
As one people.
Let us resist the temptation
To fall back on the same
Partisanship and pettiness
And immaturity
that has poisoned our politics for so long.
As Lincoln said
'We are not enemies but friends
Though passion may have strained
It must not break our bonds of affection.'"

Mo ne kasa Barack Obama

Nante yie
Asomdwehene
Nante yie Obenefuo Fiifi

You taught many in the classroom
Whilst you lived
In dying, you gave your ultimate lecture

Tweredeapon Kwame
Fa wo nsie yie

Damirifa due
Due
Due ni amanihunu

Fare thee well
President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills

© Nana A Damoah, August 2012, Lagos, Nigeria