Voices

I am the voice of Yaa Asantewaa

Ɔbaabasia a metwamu kɔ me baabi

Ma abrane, ne akwabrane, ne akwabrafoɔ

Ho woso sɛ ayowa mu nsuo!

Enti motete hɔ reyɛ dɛn ni?

The winds have long swept my footsteps away

Those steps I took, leaving my own blood

As a trail for frail men to follow

Mmm! Mahome rete na adɛn?

You have allowed the very dust of your nature

To take over

As I told Anansesɛm by the fireside,

I never taught you Greed.

As I showed you the dance steps of warriors,

I never sang songs of lies

Ei! Enti mabrɛ ɛgu anaa? 

It was for love that I sliced off my breasts

And exchanged my hand-carved laddle

For a gun heavy with our metallic tears

It was not for me that I tore off

My waistbeads of gold

And in their place tied tight a talisman

That hardened my heart.

Adɛn nti na momu bi agyaagyae moho

 Ama hyɛhyɛnpɛ arere moakoma ama no asa?

I will say no more.

I will go back, sit on my stool and watch

For what I see while seated

None of you here can catch even a glimpse

Of its shadow

From atop the tallest tree

...

I will say no more

Ephemeral

You passed through

My heart briefly

And left your footprints

Behind

Harshly

In my sleep

Sorrow broke in

And made away

With my soul

Yesterday

You wrapped your heart

Around my song

And warmed it up

To sweeter tunes

Now you are gone

And

Somewhere in the corners

of my heart-throb

I learn to laugh

At my loss

And beam 

At tomorrow

With the promise

Of 

Fragrant flowers

And

Soothing showers

Our shadows meet at the bank

Now and then

My tears merge with the stream

And

It overflows

To wash muddy footsteps

Down

Memory drain

And hang them up

On the other side

Of here

To dry

Tonight,

I can only watch you

And sigh

Your heart still beats

In my eyes

My hands itch to hold

The rhythm

Safe 

In my bosom

Warmed up by dreams

Rhythm

Carried away

By the wind

Tonight

I lean back to rest

My swooning head

And fate meets me

With a hard knock

My chest expands

To catch the nectar

Of your embrace

And reality trickles in 

Hot

Crude

I was the pipe

That sent you off

To the land of dreamers

But  I was there too

Down in the valley

I was there

Waiting

For my heart

And yours

To tumble

Down

That mountain

Let it fall

Gently

Let my heart fall gently

I am in that land again

This ground I walk on 

Is not mine

This heart that climbs back

To its place

Is reflected

In the mirror

In the heart

Of the full moon

See it pulse

Listen

To the discord

Hear her moan

"He is gone!"

You passed through 

My heart briefly...

Briefly...

And left your footprints

Behind 

The Last Song

Ask me those questions

I have heard over and over

And let me think again     

Of what to say

Go on and laugh out loud

At my childish confusion

And let me sigh again

From self-pity

Turn all the way round

Yes. Exactly, just like that

And let me look again

At what I missed

The early bird sings a different song

This morning

The lone bat has overslept

And

The night languishes away without him

I waste away where I sit

My pet dog

Licks greedily at my wounds

Vampires lurk in corners

Their eyes planted on the vein

That runs down my neck

As its fevered rhythm

Slows

Hyenas salivate over

The tell-tale smell of carrion-

Their long-awaited

Corpse

Now in the silence of darkness

A tired voice sings

In bitter-sweet notes

The Last Song –

A dirge to welcome

Sweet

Sweet 

Death