Our elation reflected the thrills
The birth of a child exudes.
In the newness of our dawn,
We basked in our rebirth.
Floods of joy held sway
Over our hearts, as our eyes
Beamed with untold bliss.
Our hopes mounted to its peak.
In those days, our gallantry
Carved us out as the pride of
Africa much to the shock of
Our overlords. Our flight towards
Progress was with selfless zeal,
A zeal soaked in palpable dreams.
II
Time’s orbit has revealed our fate,
Selfish hands harvest in greed.
Hearts that offered are withered.
The beauty of our dawn rests in carnage.
Our shepherds dwell in lavish citadels
Erected with the sweat of the penniless,
The poverty of the masses, is the paucity
Of selfless service. For this, our unbound
Greed grinds our independence into dust.
Our boast, our pride, our joy are but mirage,
Our progress, our revival, our survival
Thrive on the paltry handouts of donors.
III
Where is the independence fought for?
Where has our common sense flown to?
What have we sacrificed our intellects for?
In the eyes of world, we are mystery breed,
Why? We have it all, we have none at all.
As greed burned in the eyes of our own,
The pot that held our water was shattered
And today, if the mercy of our past overlords
Dims, we clutch at their feet for crumbs.
Yesterday, there existed a tree that bore fruits,
Today, its past glory eclipse its present infamy.

SOURCE: OKOFO-DARTEY SAMUEL
E-MAIL: sodesq2000@yahoo.com