Do You Care?

A lone soul walks by
Deep in thought and despair
A destitute of love and care
An orphan of loving and kind words
Nowhere to turn to, he went for the robes
Where were you?
When all he needed was
Jesus loves you and cares

Another soul walks along drunk
Intoxicated by the burdens of life
Weary under the yoke of worries
false solace sought in the bottle
Wasted for lack of hope
Where were you?
When all he needed was
Jesus will listen and help you

Smoked out by false hopes
Cooked in coca for recognition
Heralded by heroin with madness
Hushed into eternal damnation by hashish
Where were you
When all he needed to hear was
With Jesus you are one of a kind

Treading this vast expanse
The weary, sick and destitute
The hopeless and faithless you meet
Do you just watch them perish?
Don't you care that they waste?
Being tossed about by false hope and doctrines
Where were you?
When all they need is the amazing love of Jesus through you.(Sept. '95)

Such Are The Men of Integrity

Men who swear its white
When sucklings see black
Mean who swear the king is clothed
When the blind see nakedness
Men who swear slaps are peck,and punches, pats.

Men who vomit excess food
Though their tummies rumble in hunger
Men who swear they laugh
Amidst streams of bitter tears
Men who swear all is alright, when all is wrong

Men who defend the unjust
Though they preach justice
Men who make the law
Yet cut the long arm of the law
Men who preach accountability yet unaccountable
Men who preach transparency,yet are opaque

Men who carry high the banner of integrity
Yet are deceitful
Men who preach probity
And yet flee the probe of the masses
Men who want an enabling environment
Yet promote an unable one

Such are men who leave children gaping
Thinking the old are dumb
Such are the sacrificers of truth
Such are the murderers of social values
Such are our men of integrity (Dec. 29, '97)


Background

I wrote this sitting in the Newsroom of the Ghana News Agency; i was on attachment as a cub reporter. The NDC was then in power and had tried explaining away some acts of theirs with the claim of being men of integrity. I rememeber that, the present Deputy Minister for Information and National Orientation, Frank Agyekum, then a senoir reporter at GNA was one of the first to read it.

The Past

They tell me
Don't live in the past
Don't glory in the past
Forget the past and move on
Don't live the present in the past

But how? I say
When like strings, the past pulls
When its memories away won't go
When its pains still so much hurt
When its scars so deep are
When the thoughts, those of the past are
When the past the present begot

How do i forget?
When a smile
A name
A tilt of the head
The loud crack of laughter
All bring back the memories
That i must forget

How do i learn
To forget what the present begot
Tell me (Nov.5, '99)

The Song

My soul sings
A song none can sing
It stirs my blood
And soars my spirit
It is the song of silence
That sends me soaring
On blissful heights above (May 26,'98)

Words of the Saviour

Give love to the world
Smile at the listless one
Tell a foe these words of love
Tell him "I love you"
Change the world with love
love the beloved
But love the foe more
Love all and hate none
Teach the world to love (Nov. 19,'96)

Tell It

Tell it when it hurts,
Tell it when it's uncomfortable,
Tell it though it tears bring,
Tell it even when it a heart breaks,
Tell it though pride be burt,
Tell it in the face of scorn,
Tell it on the verge of disgrace,
Tell it on the brink of death,
Tell it when it hurts most,
Still, tell it always,
THE TRUTH (Nov. 21,'96)

Send No Roses

Send no Roses, When I am no more.
Don't, when the eyes, Its beauty not behold.
Don't, when the nose, the sweet fragrance not scent.
Don't, when the hands, the soft petals not feel.
Don't, when the heart, its gratitude not render.
Don't, when it a grave adorns and not a room.
Don't, when the sand the vase becomes.

Send roses while I live,
While the eyes behold,
And the nose scents,
While the hands feel,
And the heart gratifies,
Send Roses for the Vase and not the Grave.
(Nov. 18, 1996)