Ode to Bored Ghanaian Writers

By Kwesi Atta Sakyi

(Dedicated to the memory of late Prof Kofi Awoonor)

Life without passion,

Life without action,

Life without ambition,

Boredom.

Boredom is a Kingdom

Unknown to creative minds

It is a state of mind

That can be tamed

By melding into the changes around

And grabbing the right chances

Which come during breaks

If you are breathing,

If your mind is active,

If your taste is right,

And you can drive yourself,

What is boredom to you?

Free yourself from self imprisonment

Give yourself a life sentence dedicated to

An orgy of joy

Instead of a labour of toil

Spread your mirthful spirit over the gloom around

Infect your morose neighbours

With tantalizing viruses of gossip

Let your sunshine self flow with the tide

And see how high you ride,

Your boredom will not abide

It will take a raw hiding and hide

Behind the very tide you ride

And like a little naughty child

That is chided

Boredom will not again be in your domain

It will gain wings and flee,

Freed from your effulgent spirit,

It will look like an egregious fool

In its nether abode,

Looking up to your high presence

In your blurbous bulb,

That is, if you are a creative writer

Boredom will flee

And hide behind the clouds

If you taste a little wine

It will revive your flagging spirit

To be sprite, so you can write,

You got me right, a little wine,

Will take out the whine

Try Zambian Chibuku or Ghanaian Pitoo

They’re all made from millet,

Grown on the Savannahs

Ghanabrew, Zambiabrew,

They taste the same,

They deliver power-packed punches to both

initiates and neophytes