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27.07.2012 Feature Article

To My Uncle Tarkwa Atta – A Tribute (4)

To My Uncle Tarkwa Atta – A Tribute 4
27.07.2012 LISTEN

You have become
the perfect mirage –
everybody is singing
your praises
so profusely,
you must begin
to wonder
if there are any more
truth-tellers left
in your wake…
of course,
we both know,
they are waiting
for your remains
to be laid
to rest,
and then the crude
and morbid cycle
of stone-throwing
shall begin
all over again –
such is the sorry state
and essence
of humanity…
they smile
in your face,
only to scowl
behind your back;
I,
for my part,
choose
to place you
where you squarely
belong,
a fairly deft
mix of
the good and
the not-so-good;
for inasmuch as
you generally meant well
to all
with whom
you ever dealt,
you also had
that mean streak
that silently snorted
at gauntlets thrown
by those whom
you least admired
and liked…
in spite
of all
your much-remarked
boyish smiles,
you still had
your fair share
of friends
and foes,
though you admirably
strained to mute
that dark and
all-too-human
aspect of
your mien –
you were not
particularly humble,
save that canine
version you so
deftly sported
on demand;
yet,
everyone
is now pretending
you always were
what we both know
you never to
have been –
I know
this is merely
a sly and
sardonic joust
at your most ardent
political
foe,
“rival” seems
like the more apt
term
to use…
of course,
we all know
you both used to be
good college buddies
once,
till push
came to
shove,
till it came down
to who deserved
to wear
the jeweled
crown,
wield the gold-gilt
shield and sword
of might…
then all hell
broke loose,
then all pretence
to politeness
dropped and
crumbled and
smashed to
smithereens…
and since might
has always been
reckoned right
and crowned
king,
public opinion
swung your way,
and your opponent
and loser
was named
your aggressor;
and so now
everybody is talking
about your
purported
humility,
almost as if
it matters more
than ability,
agility and
creativity…
not that you were
any woefully
lacking in any
of these
virtues –
the perfect mirage
in a moment
of great
thirst…
7/27/12

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