*By Akadu Ntiriwa Mensema, Ph. D.

One was called
Martin Amidu
Rhetoric of defiance
In stentorian volumes
His gargantuan narratives
Thrown onto the precipice
From the Castle heights
Swayed
Grappled
Oscillated
Landed gracefully
Cushioned by honor
Pride of place
Ennobling fall
Dignity of the moment
He is a petal on a living twig

One recalled herself
Molding inchoate rage
Betty Mould Iddrisu
Molded the precipice
Cascading stairs
Headlong
Lurching
Tumbling
Plummeting
Plunging
Headlong
Like a bat on a precipice
Molding her head as her tail

One has been called
Alfred Agbesi Woyome
To honorable mention
Garlanded
Celebrated
Renowned
Illustrious son
Anointed kinsman
Escorted to the precipice
In full Castle regalia
But fell off the precipice
Like a migrating sparrow
He hit the wall in full grace

Six are yet to be honored
1. John Atta Mills
2. Betty Mould-Idrissu
3. Kwabena Duffour
4. Barton-Oduro
5. Henry Martey
6. Mr. & Mrs. Nerquaye-Tetteh
Are yet to be honored
On the precipice
Of shame
Of collusion
Of incompetence
Of pen armed robbery
Of influence peddling
Of Gargantuan criminality


Tomorrow and tomorrow
Woyome will be freed
Free like all pen robbers
Roaming free
Adored
Worshipped
Waiting for a state burial
Our cultural homogeneity
Our triumphal narratives
Of worshipping thieves
Of adoring thieves
Of revering thieves
Of venerating thieves
Those who kill us
Those who shame us
Those who impoverish us
Those who marginalize us
Oh! Our collective fidelity to theft

*Akadu Ntiriwa Mensema, Ph. D., is a nationalist Denkyira beauty. She is a trained
oral historian cum sociologist and Professor in the USA. She lives in Pennsylvania
with her great mentor and teaches Africa-area studies at a college in Maryland. In
her pastime, she writes what critics have called “populist hyperbolic, satirical”
poetry. She can be reached at akadumensema@yahoo.com