Our Beauty Blindness Bans Us From

Enjoy Reading This Poem: Our Beauty Blindness Bans Us From

We stand on beauty
Yet, we see her not.
We sit on beauty
Yet, we see her not.
We sleep on beauty
Yet, we see her not.
How seriously deep the depth of this blindness is
That we can’t see the beauty that stares at and surrounds us!

Look around!
Beauty is everything staring at us.
A beautiful sunrise grows into a beautiful sunshine,
Brightening on this beautiful land of peace.
Our captivating costumes and clothing:
Our decent Kaba and Slit, our Batakari, our Agbada,
Our ATL and GTP fine fabrics,
Our colourful, Kinglike & Queenlike Kentes,
Our beautiful, beaming Beads…
Are all locked up in caves and graves
And are released for use once in a century.
We clad ourselves in whatever,
Suffocating our skins and strangling ourselves,
And call it ɔfishial.
Ɔkɛ…shial?
Can’t our own also be Ɔfishial?

Look around!
Where are our fabulous and favourite foods:
The Dɔkunu and Kyenam,
Mutuo and Nkate nkwain with akukɔnam,
Fufu and Nklewa with ɡoat meat, or Abɛ nkwain,
Wonderful Waakye with Wele?
How many children can testify to the tales and taste of Apapransan?
How long will Wɔkple and Fetri Toto or Abɔbi Tadi live again?
What of Tuozafi, Kana Wasawasa, Kadzakpa with beans stew
And their brothers & sisters?
Lest I forget our dear Kontonmire
Who joins dzomi and agusi, adziadɔ and mɔmɔne
To transform into a wonderful frɔyɛ
To journey with Etekɔ or Ɛmo.
What is the fate of all these
Which fill the atmosphere with sweet scents
Like the petrichor that accompany first rains,
Causing throats to be restless?
As for Kokonte, none dares call his name
Cos the frowns from faces may ruin lives.
Our sights are on fried rice with chicken,
Noodles and speɡhetti,
Pizza and partners
And kɔntinental dishes.
Kɔnti…dɛn…tal?

Look around!
Our pure Palm Wine and Pitoo are sad.
Asaana and Liha are weeping and wailing.
Our sweet, sweet Sobolo
And other family members
Feel we’re not being grateful
Because all we know now are
sham that gives pains
And other countless forin drinks.
Ɛdeɛn …rin?

Look around!
We’ve neglected our beautiful sceneries and sites.
Is Kakum in good shape?
What of Paga pond, Wli Water Falls, our Mountains and Museums
And others?
We’re blind to see and maintain any of these
But we’re open sighted to sea across the see,
Going to other places to enjoy honey that has moon;
Travelling to go to Do & buy
Du…nuka…bai?
Meanwhile, ours are gradually walking into graves.

Look around!
How many people are proud to be called
Kwesi or Kwame or Akosua or Ama
Or Kubiti or Ajele or Maali or Dzigbɔdi or Akyeampɔn?
Must we desert everythinɡ of ours
And just follow like cottons in winds?
Do we only know of and want only rights
Even when they’re lefts?

Wait a minute!
Where are our childhood plays and ɡames:
Ampe, Oware, Mama & Dada, Akumkpa Bosin,
Pilolo, Tsaskele, Makinɡ and drivinɡ can cars,
Odenke, Story sessions…?
Where are they?
Or you say they’re archaic?
Do we know Oware is a ɡame of
Abstract, critical thinkinɡ and mental strenɡth development?
What of the eye-hand coordination
Developed by Akumkpa Bosin?
All our children know now are
Telenovellas and internet and computer ɡames.
Ɔke …vella?
Nuka…net?
Compu…wetin?

Oohh!
How many people can unfold their tongue in their tongue?
How many people can dance, and despise not
Adowa, Takai, Agbadza, Lekɔnɡɔ, Bamaya, Bɔbɔbɔ, Kundum, Kete, Kpaloɡo…?
How many people?
And how fine is it
When only in one moon we claim to celebrate us?
We wear whatever for four days
And since Fida is almost a no-work day and not serious,
We use her to compensate our blindness.

Ɛhɛn!
Where are our marriaɡe systems?
Is it our marriaɡe that we now refer to as enɡaɡement,
And without piin-pɔɔn piin-pɔɔn
And the finger cuff gleaming like a crystal on the finger,
We feel there’s no marriage?
Hmm… Hmm… Hmm…

How long shall this blindness ban us
From seeing what we wish for
Standing, sitting, and sleeping with us?
Or is it that  we know
But we just don’t like ours,
And prefer others’?

WORTH READ: Useful Sleepless Night – A Poem Worth Reading

© Prince Litela Agbemedu (Probity~1)