The Tales of a Street Youth

I was told to learn to make it on my own
And it is the realest thing I have ever known

They say I am at liberty to dream as big as the Milky Way
But then, I will have to pave my very own way

The street is not just my home; it's where I keep all what I own
It's where I have lived all my life; it's much more than a home

Many call me names to my credit and discredit
But I am less concerned about the script they edit

I have a different story to tell the generations to come.
I begun long time ago and this' how far I have come

From the getho where I was born and grown,
Where I have seen many slip down the throne

In my shoes on your way through the wilderness,
You have more to lose than to gain; so so bitterness

To make it in my world, you must be hundredth in a million
And to keep it, you must be a centurion

But these are not reasons enough for me to let go,
Especially, not while I still feel the need to flow

My case is not one you'll love to hear; not here
So I will keep the lid on the rest until a better year.

The Tales of a Street Youth

I was told to learn to make it on my own
And it is the realest thing I have ever known

They say I am at liberty to dream as big as the Milky Way
But then, I will have to pave my very own way

The street is not just my home; it's where I keep all what I own
It's where I have lived all my life; it's much more than a home

Many call me names to my credit and discredit
But I am less concerned about the script they edit

I have a different story to tell the generations to come.
I begun long time ago and this' how far I have come

From the getho where I was born and grown,
Where I have seen many slip down the throne

In my shoes on your way through the wilderness,
You have more to lose than to gain; so so bitterness

To make it in my world, you must be hundredth in a million
And to keep it, you must be a centurion

But these are not reasons enough for me to let go,
Especially, not while I still feel the need to flow

My case is not one you'll love to hear; not here
So I will keep the lid on the rest until a better year.

TIMELESS ANNALS

I am tired of your taunting stunts
Whether you mean them or not
Because they take away my look
And turn me into a nook kook

You make me want to use and lose
Every single bit of my blues to you
Even though you know how bad I feel
With your filths in my face like glues

Don't ever think I will lose my beauty
Not even when the lights are turned off
For I know but one very thing
Not even myself can take them away

Don't come again if you aren't ready
To make me feel that very way
Stop making me want even more
Of you and of your love away

I have waited but for too long
My friends say I need to be strong
So though the feeling is hurting,
I have long stopped regretting

The reflections I have seen of me
Before and short after you were gone
Tells me the future is uncertain
For those who'd lose hope in me

Guilty I know I have become
Of having faith in the things yet to come
Of loving the same things I should hate
And of being mixed up and quiet late

They say my veins aren't blue enough
To enter and dance in the club
So sometimes I clone my emotions
With my self-styled naked notions

It's not because I am scared of dying alone
I am just tired of talking on the phone
It's not because I am missing you home
I am just in love with the stones you throw

Don't send me flowers in summer
Don't send letters that you are a runner
My mirror can't stand your timeless annals
So please spare me your ruthless banal

Author Notes:
Inspired by happenings at Kpodola Writing Workshop during a session with Poetra Asantewaa.

By the Blood, Be Saved

Eternal life is the most precious commodity,
Everyone must try to afford however may
And there's no other way than through Christ
The Son of God who died for the sake of mankind

By the blood, we shall all attain salvation
Because He is been and still is in causation
For the brisk and utter fulfilment
Of the promises of the Father to His Nation

Though the world still ignore His calls
He's proven to be the Master of Patience
In Him, rest your faith, for a restore of fate
Because in no time, you may be late

He died long before He was killed
Soaked in His blood of innocence
And such was but for you and I
To partake in His Holy Covenant

He lived long before He was born
Entrusted with the treasures of heaven
He overcame death before principalities
He's Himself, a heavenly Monarchy

His love for those lost in search of peace
Should find you on your way down every lain
He is powerful but beyond contending
Yet, He became as Humble as the Lamb

And as we celebrate this Easter,
May we find happiness in the
fiesta
May we come to learn of His unconditional love
And may we boldly emulate His every step

Without this, there may be no salvation
Not for you, for me nor for the nations
Because Christ is the only Name available
To deliver the world from its troubles

Simon K. Amu
©2017

THE STREET BOY

You equate the street boy to a criminal
Because of whatever reason in your mind
But if you lie in his position for a minute,
You will realize he actually deserves a salute

Have you ever wondered how he feeds?
How he manages to make his odd ends meet?
Days upon days through months into years,
He's been strong, surviving and killing fears

He does all kinds of jobs you won't allow your children to do
He does them not because he enjoys doing them
But because he's got no other choice
That can keep him dreaming for the best

You call him names you do not understand
You make him your object of mockery
And you even despise him for your egos
Oh, I am sorry, but I am not the least surprised

Like a lawyer, I stand before the jury today
And accuse the rich of being helpless to the society
If I am allowed to proceed with my case,
Then I have the following to say on the street boy's behalf

He's not the rebel you should fear
He is the less fortunate begging for your grace
He's not the object you should mock
He is the brave soul you should emulate

He thrives on the hopes lost by many
But he never complains for his unfair share
I call to the stand, the public media
And accuse him of spewing too many lies

DO EVERYTHING TWICE BETTER THAN BEFORE

Before you tell me about my past,
Know that I have long left it behind
I have left it behind not to be forgotten
And not for it to be rotten
I have left it behind not because I'm scared
Or because it means nothing to me
But I have left it behind to rest
To belong where it belongs
I have left it behind to be past, to be gone
And so to not dictate my future

But before you tell me about the future,
Please know that no one has yet been a future(r)
Know that it's the only thing I've hope for
And trust me, it's what I'm never certain of
I am not certain not because it is so bleak
Or because I am myself lost in its core,
But I am uncertain to be certain
That whatever may, the best soon comes
Yes brethren, I am uncertain to be certain
That the future is very uncertain

So while you still have today,
Please live your life like the last it may,
Do everything twice better than before
Today is the best time to live your call
Today is the best day you can afford
Not because yesterday is become a past
Or because tomorrow may never come
But it's the best because it is
For real brother, yesterday is gone
And oh, tomorrow just may never come

DO EVERYTHING TWICE BETTER THAN BEFORE

Before you tell me about my past,
Know that I have long left it behind
I have left it behind not to be forgotten
And not for it to be rotten
I have left it behind not because I'm scared
Or because it means nothing to me
But I have left it behind to rest
To belong where it belongs
I have left it behind to be past, to be gone
And so to not dictate my future

But before you tell me about the future,
Please know that no one has yet been a future(r)
Know that it's the only thing I've hope for
And trust me, it's what I'm never certain of
I am not certain not because it is so bleak
Or because I am myself lost in its core,
But I am uncertain to be certain
That whatever may, the best soon comes
Yes brethren, I am uncertain to be certain
That the future is very uncertain

So while you still have today,
Please live your life like the last it may,
Do everything twice better than before
Today is the best time to live your call
Today is the best day you can afford
Not because yesterday is become a past
Or because tomorrow may never come
But it's the best because it is
For real brother, yesterday is gone
And oh, tomorrow just may never come

....The System?

How can I trust the system?
While betrayal is the cheapest commodity,
It is the same system that promises hope
That is full of destitution and defamation
It is the same system that promises peace
That is plagued by war, crime and discrimination
There seem no good man anymore in the world
The one you have good reasons to trust
Could actually be the one designed to bring you down
Injustice and insecurity have flooded the earth
There seem lack of answers to the primal questions
Our climb up the mountain is firmly restricted
And we have memories as short as days; volatility
With sights obscured from eternal visions; unaesthetic
Now is the time to think and rethink it over and again
There might be a step or steps we are missing
Only we and only us can liberate ourselves
From the shackles of perpetual internal blindness
Let's give reasons to the world around us
Why they should trust us and why we'd trust them
That is how we can keep our home spinning
How we can keep pace with the peace we know
And the only way we can reinstall the hope we lost

Life Is A Journey

Life is a one way journey,
To the land of the living
From the world unborn
And to the world unknown

The route aren't straight
But keeps meandering
Through alternating rocks,
Of right and of wrong

Everyone travels life's journey
Without passport nor visa
Not by land, by air nor by water
But within and to a destiny

Life is a call to be attended to
A mission to fulfill with pride
So while you live, take some ride
Into distance and into time too

Life is a gift worth receiving,
It's a precious and priceless treasure,
That's why its value's without measure,
And it's always worth keeping.

Life is a journey between two ends,
Say the past and the future,
It is the very present, with mends
And full of hope to better the future.

Life is like a spring of water that soothes,
It has the ability to cure our wounds,
It's the reason we survive every season
And rejoice in praise with our flutes

We travel life every way every now or then,
From zeros to heroes surviving few blows,
So learn to learn as you live life in the rows,
And no straight way, should you bend.

ONWARD EVER, BACKWARD NEVER

I am waiting for my turn

My turn to make a difference

A difference; a rightful turn

I shall never befriend pretense

Because I have learnt my lessons

Along the droopy route of life

And am still counting my blessings

Happy, I am for the gift of life

I know the journey is very tough

Some say life is a tag of war

And I learnt the texture is rough

So am building a hopeful door

With courage and perseverance,

I shall complete every mission

And with hope in abundance,

I shall curtail every confusion

Onward ever, backward never

We are moving on and on

Backward never, onward ever

We are moving on and on

Never stopping, we still topping

Are you waiting for your turn?

So you can make the right turn?

To effect a sound difference?

And also stop every pretense?

Can you count all your blessings?

And can you recall your lessons?

Come on, give thanks for life

For so precious, is the gift of life

I know the journey is very tough

And I learnt the texture is rough

We all know life is a tag of war

That’s why we must build a door

With courage and perseverance

Trust me, we have hope in abundance

So we can complete every mission

With much fewer confusion

Onward ever, backward never

We are moving on and on

Backward never, onward ever

We are moving on and on

Never stopping, still topping

fractured hopes

our bones are weak,

but we are still on the run.

our flesh is dehydrated,
but we are still breathing.

our eyes are blinded,
but we are still spying.

our ears are deaden,
but we are still hearing.

our dreams are shattered,
but we are still optimistic.

our future is bright,
so we are never stopping.

our life is purposeful,
so we should keep giving down.

our paths aren't straight,
so we keep on surviving.

our hopes are fractured,
so we keep repackaging

Quote

We arrived here blessed to succeed.
So no matter the case, we'd proceed.
The benchmark, we'd surely exceed.
As we sow our good and viable seeds

FAINTING CALL

From the not too distant territory,
Comes the scream of the helpless
For the attention of a caring heart,
And for the help of that kind hand

Who hears this dearly fainting call?
Is anyone behind the tall grey wall?
How much longer would it take?
Hope it’s not a thing she can’t take? 

I saw across the windows of buses,
Along the principal streets in the city,
Arms stretching out for alms; charity,
While some people are full of buzzes 

Who cares about the widow-needy?
What about the unlucky hungry child?
Is it that justifiable, to be this greedy?
While crime’ spreading wide and wild

The scream’s getting million times more
The grey walls seem running across
Who is going to take whose cross?
But before then, where is the law?

Silence wouldn’t be our last resort,
Not until our scream rip your thought
Our fainting call is still on the fall.
So come over, from the tall grey wall

Look Around

Stop and take a look
See what is going on
And try to reset things
There is no need to wait
Get up and change the world
Because you can
If you look around
Tell me what do you see Is
there something to smile about?
While the children are dying everyday?
And as the nations cry for peace
The leaders are talking about the economy
What is so good about this?
That's why I took a look around
And have got to do this writing
That you may also read
And maybe join force with us
To fight in this battle

To Face Reality

When I was a child,
My mum used to tell me
To be a man is not easy
I will have to toil very hard
Racking and cracking my brain
Fighting and never resting
Till I make a difference
So today when I look around
And she is no where to be found,
It becomes clearer and clearest
To me that,
It's time to face reality
No matter how hard it may seem
Mindless of how rough it can be
I must face it with courage
Yes! I must and I would
To face reality with hope
Even if it may cost me a lot
All I know is that,
I must be the one
The one that will break the chords
The chords of war
The chord of fruitlessness
And the chords of hopelessness
That's why I want to face reality
And to sow the seed
The seed of love, hope and righteousness
That's is me!

Worry Not

Gather courage my friend
And always keep the trend
Striking through the rays
Just to build some ways
You need not cry
But you must always try
Success is almost due
And we shall soon be blue
Just don't be worried
For every man shall be buried
Because a soldier dead at war
Shall never die anymore
And the death of a man
Must be a lesson for a woman
Still, I said don't be terrified
Because you shall be magnified
So keep on with your striving
Until you reach that timing

It's A Shame

Oh! Why all these fighting and fussing?   
Why not stop the killing?                                                                                       
It's a very big shame                                                                                              
To see brother fighting brother                                                                             
And sometimes, father against son                                                                           
I am very sorry it seems too late                                                                             
But then, we need to turn around                                                                           
Getting up to make a change                                                                                  
Yes! A change for betterment                                                                                  
Because it's a shame                                                                                                
How the human race is living                                                                             
This yoke must be broken                                                                                       
And we must recover all the lost                                                                         
That's why I wrote this poem                                                                                  
Just to inform you about                                                                                       
What brother Joseph said                                                                            
That it's a shame before the Almighty                                                              
To see the people fighting in the street

The Difference

i believe in a difference
so i never live in pretense
its never on a silver-platter
so i always keep it tight like the plaster
a change must surely come
and the world may every scam
just turn round side by side
you may find where to ride
because the difference
is always our reference
never give up the fight
but rather hold it tight
and never scare in the dark
and or separate the white from the black
which makes no difference

Hot Cake

This is me burning
Like a hot iron bar
Don't touch me
Because I am unbeatable
Strong like a lion
Fears like a leopard
And as wicked as the tiger
Step away before me
Don't try to stop me
Because you can't
I am hot a cake
Right away from the oven
Untouchable and unbreakable
You can say I am a champion
And I will say I am a rock
The last man standing
Breaking the barriers
And resisting the worries
That's me, the Humble Lion
Guns and bombs
Can't take away my life
Though I stand against them
Because I for the right course
Yes! I am hot cake
Brightening every corner
Where I find myself

Right Thing

Don't let them tell you
It is impossible
To do what is right
Never hesitate
To do what is right
Never mind the cost
But rather the benefit
When you stand for the truth
They will scorn you for that
But that shouldn't
Be your setback
Rather strive even harder
Till you always do what is right
Because it pays to