By Kwabena Benyin
Morning has spoken to me, he said things would be promising today.
Ɔ’san ka kyerɛ me sɛ, Ɔ’de me totrobɛnto no bɛ berɛ me
Nanso, me nyane’ɛ no mante ne ho mpanpan biara.
He lied to me. He lied to my face in my precious dream.
W’adada me wɔ me daeso no mu.
If someone had told me Morning would lie, I would disagree.
Nanso sɛ nnyɛ saa na me ne wo hyehyɛe me daeso no mu
Efisɛ, wo ka kyerɛ me sɛ ɔkyena anɔpa hema wo de me totrobɛnto no bɛ berɛ me.
Haven’t you learnt enough of my loyalty, my truthful words, my fulfilling sayings?
Sɛ me ne wo mienu nim sɛ nea me ka biara no me yɛ. Nti afei adɛn ne akyinnye yi?
Nnyɛ saa nsɛm yi na wo ka kyerɛ me daeso no mu—nti saana wo redada me?
He knows it.
He knew I needed my vuvuzela to awake the birds in my garden
who sing sweet melodies to my ears each morning.
He always knows.
When morning comes, I sound it in a solemn manner,
So its vibration will run through my stomach and quicken the worms thereof.
Let me send a loyal person;
This time, I’ll look for Evening,
I’ll speak sense into him. I’ll make him send my words to Morning.
Evening is not like morning; he keeps his word.
Nti, me soma Anadwo
Na afei deɛ — , meka me nsɛm nyinaa krataa so, na ma sɛ Anadwo sɛ
Ɔ’du nkwantinfi na ɔ’ne ne nua
Anɔpa di nhyia a to no nkra sɛ mese megye me totrobɛnto no ayɛ adeɛ — na m’akoma te.
‘The Morning that Lied’ was first published as part of our Balance Anthology, ‘Equanimity’.
Download the full anthology.
Kwabena Benyin is a student writer, and resides currently in Accra. He writes poems and stories in both the Local language and English. More of his works can be found at [aswrittenbybenyin.home.blog].