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