Once born was a child among many,
Innocent, free spirited, a humming bee
In his eyes the world was at peace,
in his mind there was an end to the sea
He lived on scanty amidst the many,
he fed on many when all had ceased.
He was conceived during those times,
the time when beasts lived like men
when the fleas pleas could be heard,
when savagery and bravery lied not
yet the civilised bonded with the savage,
and he was born of royal heritage.
Like the many tales among his kinsmen
His name was many among the many
The re-incarnated, the gift of the old folks
He was the pride of the father folk,
the women sung him names in dirges
yet they craved to taste his lineage.
To what he could do, there was no end
After all, he was the son of the sun gods
the wealthiest prince among the many
Of his might and splendour, measureless
Of his beauty and glory, priceless
Yet he lived a pauper amidst the many.
Old poems at OGOV don't die, but live on in our archives! Every once in a while we will dust one off for our newer readers to enjoy. "The Dream Child" was orginally published on OGOV on May 15th, 2010.
Biography:
Kwadwo Oteng Owusu is the third born of four siblings. He grew up primarily in Kumasi and graduated from Prempeh College and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology with a B.Sc. Development Planning degree. Currently he is doing his national service in Mfantseman Municipal Assembly, Central Region and is attached to the World Vision Mfantseman ADP, Saltpond.
Five Questions with Kwadwo Oteng Owusu:
1. You use repetition, especially of the word "many", quite intentionally in this poem. What interests you in repetition as a poetic device?
My interest in repetition as poetic device stems from the fact that, it tends to keep the focus of a poem intact, literally, whilst allowing you to associate different meanings to the repetitive word in the different stanzas of the poem. It also has the power of keeping your readers focused on the reading, at least for the fun of it. The use of repetition in this poem (in the word "many") was to keep me focused on the comparison I was making between what is perceived and what is actual. That there were others apart from what was being mentioned.
2. Similarly, what draws you to use rhyme in the ways you do? What effect to you hope for it to have on your reader?
Rhyming adds sound to a poem. It adds life to the fabric of any poem. I intentionally made the effort to rhyme in this poem just to give it another dimension, especially on the backdrop of the extensive use of "repetition." I want my readers to enjoy reading the poem and not be bored whilst doing that.
3. You mentioned in your last interview that you think of poetry as an educational tool. What has poetry taught you over the years?
Poetry teaches a lot. This poem, for instance, teaches that it is not the presence of potentials that matter, but how one exploits them to better his lot that really counts, hence, the child in our dream is different from the child that is born to us. It teaches us that as a people, we should be up and making our dreams what we have conceived them to be. That is the lesson I learn from this poem, and that is how I approach any poem i read - to try and learn something from its lines and story.
4. Do you read your poetry aloud, either at readings or to friends? If so, how does this affect your writing?
I write my poems to be read out loud and I read them out to friends who I know appreciate poetry. It is this that sometimes guides me in the use of such poetic devises that give rhythm and sound. It makes you conscious of the audience and generates a self-awareness that propels you to be coherent in your thought process.
5. What's new in your writing or personal life that you think our readers might be interested in? [Editor's Note: This interview was conducted in 2010]
I think I will be writing poems for a long time. There a several half baked poems that I have to complete and when that is done, who knows, I may have them published in hard copy with a full commentary on them. At the moment, I am still taking life easy in my little, quiet coastal town in Ghana, hoping to finish National Service soon.
Contact Kwadwo:
okobenus(at)yahoo.com
Bring back the sun oh gods
How I long to feel its heat
Its menacing gaze of warmth
that lightens my every burden
Its piercing and seeking eye
that overlooks in idle contempt.
Bring back that gift on my land
So my cold battered skin and soul
may bathe in its midday sweats
So these lungs of mine may rest
in the comfort of the golden rays
that adorn the land from dawn.
Bring back that eminence of smiles
And hear my humble plea of need
the cry of this prodigal son of yours
who seeks after the wisdom of men
who has hopped for hope and chance
and landed on cold feet with cold hands.
Biography:
Kwadwo Oteng Owusu is the third born of four siblings. He grew up primarily in Kumasi and graduated from Prempeh College and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology with a B.Sc. Development Planning degree. He is currently reading Urban Planning and Policy Design, MSc, at the Politecnico di Milano in Italy.
Five Questions with Kwadwo Oteng Owusu:
1. What do you do to beat the cold when the sun is not around (other than write poems about it, that is)?
Well, aside from writing about the cold, I am largely attending to various reading materials and assignments on urban planning theories and practices in Europe and the world at large, with its accompanying research demands. I should say that this poem is a summary of my experience one cold winter afternoon in Milan, Italy.
2. In this poem, the speaker casts the sun as an ineffective villain, which attempts to menace us, but only ends up lightening our burdens. This is a wonderful image to me, and reminds me of all the "blessings" in our life which quickly become nightmares if they become too great or too close (oil and oil spills, power and "absolute power", etc.). What inspired you to portray the sun in this way?
The sun is a good gift that nature bestows on humanity. For a long time, I did not appreciate the warmth it gave to my life. Ironically, most folks in Ghana, and Africa at large, believe what I did. Because it stares us in the face every time, we never really wonder for a moment how our land would be if the sun should refuse us its heat in one day. We behave in this manner towards all the natural resources - gold, diamond, timber, oil - taking their presence for granted. This I believe is the reason for the varying and similar behaviours we Africans display towards the natural resources we have. What a wonder it will be, when we wake up one day, and the sun, the gold, the oil, the timber, the diamond, etc. are no more.
3. An intriguing line in this poem is when the speaker says he "hopped for hope and chance". Which came first in this line, the near-rhyme of "hopped" and "hoped" or the image of hopping and "land[ing] on cold feet"? Generally speaking, how big a role does the sound of words play in determining the direction your poems take?
The imagery comes first. This is a description of my current state now - having hopped out of Africa, in pursuit of academic knowledge, only to land in Europe, with this cold environment. The sound effect adds to the visual image created by this line. I hope it worked well.
4. The last time we chatted, you said you'd heard there were other poets around Saltpond, but you hadn't met them yet. Before leaving Saltpond for Italy, did you have any luck locating these mystery poets?
I did not come into contact with any poet or writer during my stay in Saltpond. However, as a poet, the town enabled me to grow and to appreciate the environment within which I live. I miss that small town. Maybe some day, I will meet a poet of Saltpond-origin.
5. What is new in your own writing life? Any new projects or undertakings?
Nothing much really. My focus now is to get through with my academic work but in those deep moments of thought, I certainly do write. I recently submitted some poetry to a foundation in Ghana that intends to do some charity work. I hope my work is good enough to make the final cut.
Contact Kwadwo:
okobenus(at)yahoo.com
In the belly of the ocean
I hear the sounds of old
Sounds of the voices untold
Voices of them that were sold
From the north to the west and the east
But never made the final feast.
In the bubbles of the ocean
I feel the movements of the feet
Movements of the dancers to the beats
Beats of the drumming from the streets
From the men of the west and the east
Who never made the final feast.
In the multitudes of the ocean
I hear the stories of our daughters and sons
Those sons captured under midday sun
In the midday battles of swords and guns
From the cities of the north to the east
Like pilgrims towards a Ramadan feast.
In the libraries of the ocean
I read tales that are beyond reason
Tales of atrocities, of human treason
Atrocities of the changing seasons
Like the west bound sun from the east
We are west bound for the feast.
In the valleys of the ocean
I see tracts of good fertile soils
Soils enriched by their sweat and toil
Sweat darkened by rage like gushing oil
That we till today from the west to the east
To prepare for ourselves a grand feast.
Biography:Kwadwo Oteng Owusu is the third born of four siblings. He grew up primarily in Kumasi and graduated from Prempeh College and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology with a B.Sc. Development Planning degree. Currently he is doing his national service in Mfantseman Municipal Assembly, Central Region and is attached to the World Vision Mfantseman ADP, Saltpond.
Six Questions with Kwadwo Oteng Owusu:1. This is your second poem on our site to use hard end-rhymes, a style which has been out of fashion for quite some time (though perhaps is making a comeback via spoken word, rap, etc.). What draws you to this style: older poets and poems, this new wave of spoken word artists, or is it simply your own personal creation?
I think I am drawn to this approach, some of the time, simply because of the challenge that writing a poem of this nature presents. It is never easy to rhyme throughout the various stanzas of a poem and still keep your storyline intact. I am not a fan of rap music. Instead, I think Charles Wesley, whose works set me off in poetry, influenced this aspect of my poetry writing.
2. Still on your rhyme schemes, a rhyme scheme such as the one in "Tales from the Ocean's Belly" seems like a risk - if it works for a reader, it greatly enriches the poem (and makes it easier to memorize and carry with you in your mind). If it doesn't work, it makes the poem feel sing-songy and old-fashioned. Do you consider this risk as you choose/find your form for a poem, or is the audience only a later consideration?
In this poem, I experimented with both the idea and the technique. I have not written a poem of this kind, with such a strict rhyme scheme, in a long time and so yes, I guess it is risky, but is a risk worth taking. I dared to fail greatly, perhaps, so that I may end up succeeding greatly.
3. The rhyme scheme isn't the only formalized element of this poem - the stanzas are quite rigid in terms of line number and set repetitions. Why are you inspired to add these restraints, and what does putting these restraints on your poems do to them?
These additions (restraints) make the author think about each word he places in each line of the poem. For me, it provides the needed challenge to push myself further. In the end, when the poem looks and sounds simple, you know, you have perhaps created something in depth but deceivingly simple to the onlooking eye.
4. Another theme of your writing that we've discussed a bit is poetry as an educational tool. Obviously, "Tales from the Ocean's Belly" is filled with historical lessons about slavery and the creation of the African diaspora. To be aware of this, and to feel the weight of it, though, we must already be aware of the historical narratives the poem references. In other words, the poem doesn't "teach" us the basic history of what happened. What does it teach us, then? And why is this a necessary form of education?
The poem is actually about the oil find in deep seas of Ghana (Stanza 5). The bit about slavery is the attempt to remind people that, while we are in so much of a hurry to enjoy the benefits of the oil find, we must remember, that, there were some of our kinsmen who lost their lives to sea on their journey to the Americas (never made the final feast). Perhaps, what we are calling the oil blessing, could actually be their "sweats darkened by rage". After all, African countries that have discovered oil, have always had a civil war of a sort. The poem therefore seeks to advise our present generation to be careful and also stimulate the youth (like my self) to read about our history.
5. It's interesting how different my interpretation was from your original intention. This flexibility, if not ambiguity, of poems can be both a strength and a weakness. Do you think that something being open to multiple interpretations makes it better or worse as an educational tool?
The poem in itself tries to match two ideas side by side - the bit about slaves who did not make it to the Americas and the other about the oil field - and so you would expect one to be more prominent than the other. But in the end, if the interpretations are not too far from these two ideas, and it succeeds to stimulate the urge to read about any of the ideas, then it succeeds as an educational tool. Remember, the poem is to make you want to read about the storyline under discussion.
I think for a poem to be open to multiple interpretations is not too bad, as it communicates to everyone in a different way. That is what education is meant to do, help each individual to identify his or her own unique identity.
6. How is the poetry life in Saltpond? Do you know of other poets in the area?
Saltpond is a town of and for history. I have been inspired by what I see every day on my way to work. This current poem is an example. I do not know any other person in Saltpond who is interested in poetry but I hear they are all around. I am yet to meet one though.
Contact Kwadwo:okobenus(at)yahoo.com
Once born was a child among many,
Innocent, free spirited, a humming bee
In his eyes the world was at peace,
in his mind there was an end to the sea
He lived on scanty amidst the many,
he fed on many when all had ceased.
He was conceived during those times,
the time when beasts lived like men
when the fleas pleas could be heard,
when savagery and bravery lied not
yet the civilised bonded with the savage,
and he was born of royal heritage.
Like the many tales among his kinsmen
His name was many among the many
The re-incarnated, the gift of the old folks
He was the pride of the father folk,
the women sung him names in dirges
yet they craved to taste his lineage.
To what he could do, there was no end
After all, he was the son of the sun gods
the wealthiest prince among the many
Of his might and splendour, measureless
Of his beauty and glory, priceless
Yet he lived a pauper amidst the many.
Biography:Kwadwo Oteng Owusu is the third born of four siblings. He grew up primarily in Kumasi and graduated from Prempeh College and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology with a B.Sc. Development Planning degree. Currently he is doing his national service in Mfantseman Municipal Assembly, Central Region and is attached to the World Vision Mfantseman ADP, Saltpond.
Five Questions with Kwadwo Oteng Owusu:1. You use repetition, especially of the word "many", quite intentionally in this poem. What interests you in repetition as a poetic device?
My interest in repetition as poetic device stems from the fact that, it tends to keep the focus of a poem intact, literally, whilst allowing you to associate different meanings to the repetitive word in the different stanzas of the poem. It also has the power of keeping your readers focused on the reading, at least for the fun of it. The use of repetition in this poem (in the word "many") was to keep me focused on the comparison I was making between what is perceived and what is actual. That there were others apart from what was being mentioned.
2. Similarly, what draws you to use rhyme in the ways you do? What effect to you hope for it to have on your reader?
Rhyming adds sound to a poem. It adds life to the fabric of any poem. I intentionally made the effort to rhyme in this poem just to give it another dimension, especially on the backdrop of the extensive use of "repetition." I want my readers to enjoy reading the poem and not be bored whilst doing that.
3. You mentioned in your last interview that you think of poetry as an educational tool. What has poetry taught you over the years?
Poetry teaches a lot. This poem, for instance, teaches that it is not the presence of potentials that matter, but how one exploits them to better his lot that really counts, hence, the child in our dream is different from the child that is born to us. It teaches us that as a people, we should be up and making our dreams what we have conceived them to be. That is the lesson I learn from this poem, and that is how I approach any poem i read - to try and learn something from its lines and story.
4. Do you read your poetry aloud, either at readings or to friends? If so, how does this affect your writing?
I write my poems to be read out loud and I read them out to friends who I know appreciate poetry. It is this that sometimes guides me in the use of such poetic devises that give rhythm and sound. It makes you conscious of the audience and generates a self-awareness that propels you to be coherent in your thought process.
5. What's new in your writing or personal life that you think our readers might be interested in?
I think I will be writing poems for a long time. There a several half baked poems that I have to complete and when that is done, who knows, I may have them published in hard copy with a full commentary on them. At the moment, I am still taking life easy in my little, quiet coastal town in Ghana, hoping to finish National Service soon.
Contact Kwadwo:okobenus(at)yahoo.com
We never asked them to make the trip
Senseless though it seemed they did
Yes! they came to see but never learned
That we never needed them to survive.
In the jungle where lions roared at day
Where cobras roamed the paths at night
Where the ants barely saw the suns’ light
There we built our great empires
Void of their help, void of their greed.
We never asked them not to learn
Senseless, could they even have learned
Yes! but they sought to teach us their ways
Of slander imbued with hypocrisy
Of malice clothed in kindness.
They sought to kill the oak tree of old
They sought to dethrone the crown bearers
They tried to drink but could never swallow
For they were not invited to the ball.
In their true nature of mischief
They sought to divide the indivisible
They sought to sow where they could not harvest
For this is the land that knows its destined rulers
They tried to build but could not break the ground
They drank the streams of the ancestors with greed
They tasted immortality and wanted to live forever
But the streams of the ancestors knew their duties
Where they could not break, there we buried them.
Biography:Kwadwo Oteng Owusu is the third born of four siblings. He grew up primarily in Kumasi and graduated from Prempeh College and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology with a B.Sc. Development Planning degree. Currently he is doing his national service in Mfantseman Municipal Assembly, Central Region and is attached to the World Vision Mfantseman ADP, Saltpond.
Five Questions with Kwadwo Oteng Owusu:1. How long have you been writing poetry?
I have been writing poems since my secondary schools days (in Prempeh College). It was something I started initially as a pastime to wile away time. I just loved playing with words in my mind and then started to put ideas on paper.
2. Who are your favorite poets? Which poets have most inspired and informed your work?
I love stories and this makes me love poets who are story-tellers. This is why I seem to have a liking for poets of African descent: Kofi Anyidoho, Efua Sutherland, Maya Angelou, etc. Funny enough, the person that inspires me most as a poet is Charles Wesley (the Hymnist). I just love the way he played with words and still managed to keep the original meaning of the gospel in them.
3. What do you hope to accomplish with your poetry?
I hope to stimulate thinking with every poem. I want people to read my poems and be spurred on to read more about the topics I have discussed in them. To me, poetry should educate and better still, lead to further education. If my poems achieve this, I will feel I have contributed to society in that small way.
4. What do you think needs to be done to promote and strengthen poetry in Africa?
Poetry has the ability to develop minds in ways not yet explored. I believe avenues like OGOV should be made more accessible to young people interested in poetry. It is all about demand and supply. Painting as an art thrived in medieval and rennaisance periods because Kings showed interest and appreciated such art forms. Society must show interest and this is why I love what OGOV is doing... creating the demand avenue for the supply to come. I believe poems become alive when recited, and so, such avenues should be made more accessible.
5. How important are outside editors, critics, etc. to the development of your writing?
Editors and critics are to writing as examiners are to students. They play a crucial role in making sure people write good materials. Editors help put writings in good standing. Editors play a similar role as the role played by medications between the Physicians and the Patient - the utmost aim is to treat the patient. It's always good to have someone comment on your writing, good or bad it helps a lot. I think editors and critics are a must have if writing is to develop in Africa.
Contact Kwadwo:okobenus(at)yahoo.com
