Keta - Andy Kwawukume

Where the ravenous sea eats the land, the homes
And the graves of the ancestors.
Exiles have your sons and daughters become
Refugees to roam in strange lands
Haunted by the ancestral spirits no longer at rest.
What untold sins not atoned for did you commit?
Our tongues are weary from wailing.

But Keta, you were once a maiden fair.
Your sandy palmy beaches stretched far.
Your fair goods sought after by suitors near and far.
Agudayevuwo covet you,
and the road to damnation on which you were led,
as the spirits of the sea wreck vengeance in appeasement
must come to an end.

And so you shall rise again, Keta,
Like the Phoenix from the sea
And your grandsons and daughters shall regale in you.
And suitors near and far shall once again
seek your fair goods.
And the music and dance shall last to the wee hours,
as we forever celebrate your re-birth.


"Keta" is part four of our five-part series of poems on Keta. Our final installment will be posted next week.

No comments: