Opinions of Saturday, 9 February 2013

Columnist: Sakyi, Kwesi Atta

Ode to Your Nativity

By Kwesi Atta Sakyi 5th February 2013

Remembered the day you were born?
In fetal position prior you reclined,
Sitting aplomb on your wombic throne
Of abysmal innocence,
You recused yourself and recoiled

To judge this beautiful nonsensical world you declined,
At your birth, you uttered your first feeble cry,
Of sweet sorrow cum sad joy,
It wafted along plaintively on the putrid air,
At your first inhalation, you exhaled,
Was it for a phyrric victory or a winner’s curse?

No fabric nor textile on you wore,
When you tore through the amniotic cavity wall,
To the world to explore,
And to endure the rude indignities of life’s war
Lo and behold, you bored your way to see the world,
But shortly after you were born,
You were no sooner bored,
With the rotten world you saw

Pray remember,
Only your birthday suit on you bore,
Naked, nude and tactile your core,
Fair in form and fragile you informed,
Nor cotton, nor linen, nor wool you wore

Naked, nude, you were born,
In fine fleshy fettle you informed,
Earlier on, in antenatal clinic
Your heartbeat in fetescope and endoscope recorded

You many days and years have since counted,
Yet many more days and years to count and recount,
Notwithstanding an octogenarian or a nonagenarian,
But nativity birthday suit recall,
Nor rayon, nor silk, nor polyster you wore,
Fabrics of earthly sheen you abhorred,
Your food, mammary milk downloaded from above,
GMOs, red meats and junk food you outlawed

No need in hurry the world to crave,
For all who craved and raved madly, soon ended in the grave,
The world craves for you, but be brave,
Let the maidens wail for the callousness of this world,
Let the minstrels croon you lullabies to dorm

The world was, is and will continue to be what it is,
No man by his power changes it a wee bit,
It has buffeted sages,
It has dealt deadly blows to hefty blundering blokes

Adore and adorn no fanciful integument,
Stars above need no habiliment to sparkle,
Only quacks cackle and quislings quackle,
At your nativity, you didn’t whistle,
Years on, up tight in the chest you strut about,
Struggling to come to terms with simplicity,
Stupidity obfuscates your vision,
An unenlightened darkness engulfs your reasoning,
You are held captive by your inordinate lust,
Remember, things of this world do not last

Gaudy gowns of hubris disrobe,
Nasty narcissism robes disown,
Gluttonous gossip garments dump as garbage,
Garbs of debauchery, lechery and licentiousness dissipate,
Festoons of flattery, give a wide berth,
Go get a life as in a Tibetan monastery,
Or rewind to ancient Greece to Spartan discipline,
Above all, to yourself be true,
As pure the day as your nativity


Notes:
Readers may care to read John Milton’s Nativity Ode which was written in 1629 with regard to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Contact email: kwesiattasakyi449@gmail.com