Keta My Love - Kwofie Matthew

Strong winds coax you into the brook with love
caressing every hair and the flesh of your body
as though the world cares about your beauty
Monstrous waves spread their daring tentacles
around your devitalized shoulders with impunity
as though to offer the soothing comfort you desire
Boastful lazy rocks flood your coasts in queues
showing off their apparently sharp edges and cracks
as though to provide the indomitable defense you cleave

But where are those multitudes of wading birds:
the herons, storks, ibises, spoonbills, and flamingos
that used to surge your shores with news of your siesta
Where are those naughty bunch of school boys
who had always boisterously invaded your shores
with their intriguing compositions and inventions
Where are those adventurous old fishermen
who used to engage your corridors every Tuesday
with poetic melodies that stiffen their weakening nets
And where have those tall coconut trees gone
that your house looks so desolate and abandoned
as though never inhabited in centuries

Keta, Oh Keta my once adorable queen
Your children desert you with fear
Your servants denounce you in despair
Your armies surrender with haste
Your calm wails collapse unheard

I see specks of native islands in the distance
I hear the sounds of bold steps nearing
I hear sweet melodies of new beginnings
I feel cool breezes move over your horizons
And the masts of ships on your waters

Rejoice in the midst of your troubles
Keta, Oh Keta my love
Your true sons and daughters
Your servants and army
Are about to arrive



"Keta My Love" is part two of our five-part series of poems on Keta. Further installments will be posted weekly throughout January.