Poem: Just As You Are – Prof. Atukwei Okai

Prof. Atukwei Okai is one of the greatest poets in Ghana and Africa. He is associated with the trail blazer for performance poetry in Ghana and Africa at large. He has several poems to his credit, popular amongst them include “Logorligi Logarithm”, “999 Smiles” and “Rosimay”. Sad news of his death came on Friday, 13^th July, 2018, after short illness. He died at 77.

This poem was influenced by two of his poems— “The Africa” & “Rosimaya”

Poem:

Just as you are, just as you are,

You struck our Friday

With sorrow, kept our Saturday with tears & wails

And sunk our Sunday unto its feet

 

So let crying women cry

And our sobbing men continue to sob;

You are our fallen king,

You are our fallen hero!

 

Just as you are, just as you are,

You liberated this genre

Of ours from its shackles, lit it up with your flame on stage

And opened up its door to all

 

So let crying women cry

And our sobbing men continue to sob;

You are our fallen king,

You are our fallen hero!

 

Just as you are, just as you are,

You raised a valley

Into an ancient mountain of pride & created a sacred

Shrine for it in this land, our motherland

 

So let crying women cry

And our sobbing men continue to sob;

You are our fallen king,

You are our fallen hero!

 

Just as you are, just as you are,

You are the logorligi

Logarithm between Shakespeare & Einstein

And you’re the Creator & still the Created

 

So let crying women cry

And our sobbing men continue to sob;

You are our fallen king,

You are our fallen hero!

 

Just as you are, just as you are,

You have crossed the last

Phase of this eclipse into a new sunrise & yet, eternalised

Your presence here amongst mortals

 

So let crying women cry

And our sobbing men continue to sob;

You are our fallen king,

You are our fallen hero!

 

Just as you are, just as you are,

From Timbkutu to Accra

From Freetown to Abuja & from Moscow to all,

You still remain a wonder talisman in the shrine of this art & act

 

So let crying women cry

And our sobbing men continue to sob;

You are our fallen king,

You are our fallen hero!

 

Just as you are, just as you are,

Master Weaver of words

Ancient sound of rhythms

Master Cast of the ever resurrected stage

 

Though your crossing

Of the veil of darkness brings grief

To our hearts &

Pools cloud of tears in our teary eyes,

 

That you lit the flaming light

Before this night,

We gather in dust & in spirit to ferry you

Into the new life

 

So let crying women cry

And our sobbing men continue to sob;

You are our fallen king,

You are our fallen hero!

 

Just as you are, just as you are,

You are not yet dead

Tsofantse Kpentenkple;

You have only, in this light of night, faded

—into a new life

 

So,

Fare thee well

You, Legend of the Poetry Concerto,

Rest in power

Einstein of this genre of our boast!

 

Note: Tsofantse Kpentenkple: Ga phrase which implies “Great Medicine man”

Oswald Okaitei (c) | Oswaldokaiteye@gmail.com | The Poet is one of his mentees from same land of birth, Ghana.