Mills' Number is Three - Philip Addo

He beat three candidates to have the mandate of his party
for the third time he contested
He went with three vices for his presidential dream
He went for three times
and three rounds before he was elected
He was declared the third president of the fourth republic
on the third of January
He died on his third term of office
three days after his birthday
Three days was used to make his funeral

He was a man who believed in the power of three:
God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit
He was an academic, a sportsman and an astute politician
He spoke three strong words:
Ghana will be peaceful before, during and after the December election
He left three main legacies: Peace, Honesty and Humility.
Due! Due!!Due!!!
Rest In Peace

Philip Addo is a regular contributor to One Ghana, One Voice.

If you have a poem in memory of President Mills, please send it to us at oneghanaonevoice(at)gmail(dot)com.

Voices - Phillip Addo

Crucify him!
                          Yeis! Crutipy him!
            Don’t live `im!
Clucify him!
               He be villain! Crushify him!
               …………………………
      No!
              No! Do not crucify him!
             I know Him!
             Truly! Truly!! I know him!

He was an honest man
I am not saying it for fun
He was a man of vision
He was not caught with indecision
He was a man of gentility
He spoke with humility
He was not a pastor
But his sermon was louder
He was a man of peace
His memory should never cease
Do not crucify him! Hail him!
Let the fontomfrom sound his name loud
Because he has made us proud.

Philip Addo is a regular contributor to One Ghana, One Voice.

If you have a poem in memory of President Mills, please send it to us at oneghanaonevoice(at)gmail(dot)com.

Memories of a Legend - Philip Addo

You bid your soul farewell to the ancestral village
To grace an occasion
We have waited for minutes, hours and days
To welcome him back
The sun is going to rest once more
But the dust of Ahimaz is unseen

We have called him by all your names:
Fiifi! Atta Mills! John Evans Atta Mills!
We have used all your accolades:
Prof! President Mills! Asomdweehene!
But there is no response
Neither a sign of his whereabouts
Where should we search to find him:
Beneath the deep blue sea
Or beyond the dense blue sky?
Where should we climb to see him:
Afadjato, Kilimanjaro or Everest?

Uncle Atta! Egya Atta! Okunini Atta!
Ghanaians have gathered
Dignitaries have been welcomed
The forces have been lined up
School children are waiting to wave back your smiles
The press is poised to carry away your message of peace once more
And the perpetual frame is waiting to be lighted.
But your soul is not here to resurrect your mortal body.

Oh! Hmm! Is it all over?
Ei! Ei!! An object bigger than the head
Has fallen on the eye
Pains, sorrows and wailings have visited our homes
We are dirging
All our mornings have turned to mournings
Tears are rolling down our cheeks forming pools at out feets
White has wept to red

Papa, you were rejected and alone
Like a rose trampled on the ground
But your good handwritings on the wall
Are germinating as the days unfold:
You came to feed; not to fleece.

Prof! Prof!! Prof!!!
The only professor in presidency!
A hero’s welcome awaits you
In the land of our ancestors.
We will continue to miss that your sweet melody:
“My brothers and sisters, I am for peace”
Due! Due!!
Fare thee well.

Philip Addo is a regular contributor to One Ghana, One Voice.

If you have a poem in memory of President Mills, please send it to us at oneghanaonevoice(at)gmail(dot)com.

Favourite Poems of 2011

Readers' Picks:

portrait of a lotto prophet as savior of the people by Prince Mensah (Issue 5.38, September 24th - 30th, 2011)

Comments on portrait of a lotto prophet as savior of the people:

"Time is very important in this poem, and I like how Mensah uses the temporal divisions (Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow) to point up the inevitability of the people's fate. By fixating on immediate material needs, they condemn themselves to exploitation when they, like the refrain, dwell only in the present. The Lotto Prophet is the Pied Piper, this time he punishes the people for the mistake of wanting more, ironically, by taking what little the people possess. It could be applied to the present financial crisis." - L.S. Mensah

"When two or three lines in a poem stick to your memory, when you love to read that poem again and again, then that poem has some qualities that cannot be measured. An example of that poem is Prince Mensah's "portrait of a lotto prophet as savior of the people"" - Darko Antwi

A Text Message To My Friend, Jake, Who Died For Their Sake by Philip Addo (Issue 5.50, December 17th - 23rd, 2011)

Comments on A Text Message To My Friend, Jake, Who Died For Their Sake:

"I love the poem because it touches on a very sensitive issue: "Slave trade in our modern time." I think I adore the poem. - Molai Addo

"Well done to Philip Addo for his amazing poem." - Darko Antwi

Forgotten Heroes by Martin Elorm Dogbo (Issue 5.45, November 12th - 18th, 2011)

Comment on Forgotten Heroes:

"This poem's theme is very universal. The sad songs of “Forgotten Heroes” are sung in every language of the world, but it was handled with poetic artistry by Martin Dogbo with such melancholic undertones that pluck on emotional strings." - Dela Bobobee

Staff Picks:

Mother of Ikemefuna and Mother of Equiano by L.S. Mensah (Issues 5.42 - 5.44, October 22nd - November 11th, 2011)

Comments on Mother of Ikemefuna and Mother of Equiano:

"L.S. Mensah does a great job by writing about two mothers of two characters; one fictional (Ikemefuna) the other actual (Equiano). Both men were slaves; Ikemefuna in another neighboring tribe, Equiano in another foreign nation. "Mother of Ikemefuna" executes an excellent juxtaposition of death and life against a background of hollow traditions. Ikemefuna's mother speaks, as a microcosm of women in stagnant cultures. In "Mother of Equinano", the mother is a collector of memories, a woman whose small heart has enough space to contain all the places her lost son had ever stepped on." - Prince Mensah

"What a treat it was to feature this pair of poems by L.S. Mensah. "Mother of Equiano" in particular, especially that cracking ending, has haunted me more than almost any poem featured on OGOV to date. And in addition to the poems, L.S. is one of the most thoughtful and generous interviewees we've ever had (see here for yourself). What more can we ask for?" - Rob Taylor

Thinking aloud, while sipping palmwine in England by Darko Antwi (Issue 5.52, December 24th - 30th, 2011)

Comments on Thinking aloud, while sipping palmwine in England:

"In compelling diasporan mode, Darko Antwi pulls the strings of nostalgia to the notes of change (or vice versa). As he sips palmwine in England, the poet makes a clear statement that he refuses to drink English alcohol and, ironically, it is the only thing in his culture that still tastes right. Using the backdrop of rain, the poet muses about home, about the sheer simplicity and sensuality in the way of life. Amidst all that, there are serious issues that have managed to morph themselves into normalcy. Issues that continue to undermine the progress of society. Darko captures questions that run in the diasporan state of mind: is home still the same way I left it? Are people still dependent on rain (a euphemism for external factors) to make important decisions about their lives? " - Prince Mensah

"This poem is rich with images of home. Heavy with them. They spill from it like rain from the "pelvis of the roof". You can feel the weight of it all as you read. You can feel the ache. Beautiful stuff." - Rob Taylor

Ayitey, 1973 by Nii Parkes (Issue 5.10, March 5th - 11th, 2011)

Comment on Ayitey, 1973:

"As with many year-end awards, poems published on OGOV near the end of the year tend to get more attention than early-year poems that have slipped from our collective memory. This often leads to wonderful poems being overlooked, something which cannot be allowed to happen for the poems in Nii Ayikwei Parkes' "The Makings of You" series. "Ayitey, 1973" stands out in particular, weaving its web between Accra and London, Vietnam and 9/11, George Foreman and Bruce Lee, Picasso and Nas. And Neruda leaning over it all. It is a mesmerising poem." - Rob Taylor

A Text Message To My Friend, Jake, Who Died For Their Sake - Philip Addo

Dear friend, I have a message to send:

The lions are marching with ants into pits for grains
While elephants roam in their dens in the plains;
The crabs are jumping into soups which burn their skin
And swabbing the pretty blankets that make them kin;
The sheep are diving into the sea for fishes
While leaves grow green on the land for dishes;
And the peacocks are complaining they are not beautiful
Just because they are not dutiful.
They are all moving in the oracles of unseen chaining
And the designers embrace them in feigning.
They are going back into the mud
Singing hallelujah 'backwards change' from the bud.

Author Profile - Philip Addo

Biography:

Philip Addo was born in Accra on February 24th, 1982. He had his basic education at the Gyemmah Preparatory School and Lartebiokorshie Presby Junior Secondary School, both in Accra. After, he furthered to Accra Academy for his senior secondary school education. He has a diploma in Airline Ticketing and Reservation from the International School of Aviation, Tema. Currently, he is pursuing a degree course in English Language education at the University of Education, Winneba.

Philip writes all kinds of literary works. He loves to preach peaceful co-existence and love for one another.

Five Questions with Philip Addo:

1. A text message to a friend who has died is, needless to say, an unexpected form of elegy. What inspired you to take this route?

The poem is a grief song in an invisible text message to the world of our ancestors, to whisper to them that their fight against the slave trade and colonialism has been a waste of time and a needless loss of precious lives.

My inspiration came from the pain of seeing people, especially highly educated Africans, struggle to steal out of their countries only to be serfs elsewhere when The Great One has endowed us with all the natural resources we need. To add to the above is the pain they go through before traveling: joining long queues at embassies; traveling long distances on deserts; paying huge amount of monies to individuals as bribes etc. Therefore, the persona’s cry in this poem is simple; to bring to light a naked truth: the slave trade still exists but the chains are now invisibly in the mind.


2. This poem has a number of biblical overtones. Do you consider it to be a religious poem?

Critics may look at the poem from different perspective, but personally, I do not consider the poem a religious one. Jake in the poem alludes to all dead people who were against the slave trade and colonialism. They have fought for their motherland and they died a death of pride. However, the people who they laid down their lives for are now embracing a well- packaged slave trade in the form of visa lotteries and other decorated lies.


3. Your poems are often feature a great deal of rhyme and repetition (though there is no repetition in this poem). What draws you to these devices? Do your favourite poems by others use these devices?

Though some of my favourite poems use these devices, I use mine depending on what I want to achieve in the poem.


4. How is your schooling going at Winneba? Is it everything you hoped it would be? Is there anything about the course that is surprising you?

I am now on my out-segment (internship). Studies on campus was great though a little bit stressful. Academically, the experience has been much rewarding.


5. You've made a move from working in the airline industry to training to teach English. Have you noticed any skills that you developed in the airline industry that are transferable to English education, or is it like starting all over?

I don’t think the skills I acquired at the aviation school are total wastes. For example, my Salesmanship and Communication Skills at the aviation school are really complimenting my English Language course.

Contact Philip:

philadogh(at)yahoo.com

It Is My Turn - Philip Addo

It is my turn to say quiet
It is my turn talk
I can’t stand your talking anymore
For you speak in parables
But I will speak in plain language
It is my turn to cause a quake in your head

It is my turn
It is my turn to sing my own song
It is my turn to dance to it
When you sing I don’t understand
And your dance has no meaning
Come and let me show you how to sing
The beautiful songs of my land
The warrior’s chant
Which you can’t
The melodious voice
Which you don’t
Come and let me show you the dance of my land
The movement of the feet
Which you can’t
The speech of the hands
Which you don’t
The rhythm of nature
The tickling of the soul
The calling of the ancestors
The mingling with the spirits
The warrior’s dance
The fisherman’s dance
The farmer’s dance
The hunter’s dance
The dance of unity

It is my turn to stand tall
It is my turn to beat my chest like a man
And fly like the birds of the air
Far far above your reach
Listen!
Listen!!
The drum of FontonfroM has spoken
And the echo of AtumpaN has responded
It is my turn

Author Profile - Philip Addo

Biography:

Philip Addo is the tenth among twelve children from his father and the fifth from his mother. He was born in Accra on 24th February, 1982. He had his basic education at the Gyemmah Preparatory School and Lartebiokorshie Presby Junior Secondary School, both in Accra. After, he furthered to Accra Academy for his senior secondary school education. He has a diploma in Airline Ticketing and Reservation from the International School of Aviation, Tema. Currently, he is pursuing a degree course in English Language education at the University of Education, Winneba.

Philip writes all kinds of literary works. He loves to preach peaceful co-existence and love for one another.

Five Questions with Philip Addo:

1. How long have you been writing poetry?

I started performing poetry in my primary school days, but I wrote my first poem, entitled "Self Sentenced", about eight years ago out of the pain of losing my younger brother. There were some dark years on my writing poems until I entered university in 2008. This is where I started active writing. It all started after I had been introduced to a course entitled: "Extensive Reading" by Mr. Abdulai Jakalia. He brought many writers such as Prof. Kwakuvi Azasu, Prof. Mawutor Avoke, Mr. Anthony K. Johnson and many more who encouraged us to start writing. I then started having a creative reaction to every book I read.

2. Who are your favorite poets? Which poets have most informed and inspired your work?

I admire many poets and their works, but Prof. Atukwei Okai has really informed and inspired my writings. I love the versatility of his works. Also, I draw a lot of inspiration from Prof. Agmor and all my lecturers at the the English Department of the University of Education, Winneba, who also happen to be writers.

3. What do you hope to accomplish with your poetry?

My dream as a poet is to bring peace in the heart of men. My dream is to link people more to their heart than to their mind. My dream is to use my poems to draw the masses to the shores of peace, love, and hope just like music and other forms of entertainment are doing.

Apart from these, I also hope to be mentioned as one of the prominent writers of the African soil in the few years to come. This I know I can and I will do through my works in poetry.

4. Who would you say is being addressed in "It is My Turn"?

"It is My Turn" is addressed to anyone who feels oppressed or captivated. The poem is meant to bring to the realization of the oppressed that he or she has what it takes to overcome the oppressor. The grenade for this is to act by showcasing what he or she has that the oppressor lacks.

5. What inspired you to want to teach English? How has your training been coming along?

In fact, teaching has never been my field of interest though my teachers had suggested it to me. All I wished for was to work in the aviation industry. Hustling and bustling for a job after my aviation school led me into the classroom where I developed a massive love for teaching the English language. From then, I started pursing courses in the subject and finally entered into the university. Hence, my inspiration has been the love for the teaching profession and the joy of interacting and sharing knowledge about language with the masses.

Contact Philip:

philadogh(at)yahoo.com