SANKOFA

Restless spirit of impetuous youth-
Seeker of fortune in alien climes;
I’m lost, stranded in this metropolis-
Caught in a labyrinth of churches
And stone faced structures with-
Gargoyles giving me the evil eye !
So far from the ant hills of the savannah;
Far from the Kilimanjaro from whence
The Blue Nile flows…..quick – quick!
I need a drink of palm wine and kola nuts.

I’ve drunk from the Thames….
The Seine – the mighty Mississippi;
Been encoded with lore I shudder from.
I’m lost neither here nor there-
Curious being I’ve become – bat like….
Neither bird nor mole.

Spirit of Sankofa, where are you?
Sacred compass – my guiding light,
Show me a sign; let it rain – thunder –fire
Let your hurricanes crash  these shores….
Unleashing waves as high as Mount Cameroon;
And when night falls, and all is calm-
Spirit bird of the great oracles;
Whisk me away to Mali……
Where I can immerse my soul into
The mystical lore of the Timbuktu chronicles.


By Hope Kalé Ewusi ©