They say all beings fight to live:
The mole, the lion and the crow.
They say all creatures must fight to be
In the air, on land in water.
And as for human
You and me,
We shoot like wild mushrooms
In the dark –
Sneak up like snakes
Claw like cats
Pounce and Trample,
Conquer
Kill
Consume.
Then we go limp:
Like wild mushrooms
- At high noon.
So where do we come in
Who feel bad just to be firm?
Damn all these else?
Do our own nice or nasty thing?
Surely, My Brother,
500 hundred years is too long to take the kicks
Without a murmur?
And for what
Do we still come with cup in hand, begging, pleading and
Endlessly shifting?
Who would have us
Be human in a world
Of cruel beasts
And even more cruel men?
How dare we trust,
When
Trust took a vacation — several million years ago — and
Never bothered to come back?
Put quite simply,
In whose name do we ever act?
Whose tomorrow do we sell?
Ama Ata Aidoo
Ama Ata Aidoo is a Ghanaian author, playwright, and academic. She was the first woman to receive a degree from the University of Ghana and went on to become a professor of English at the same institution. Aidoo has written several books, including the novel "Changes" and the play "The Dilemma of a Ghost." She is also a recipient of numerous awards, including the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book in Africa and the African Literature Association's Lifetime Achievement Award. She died on the 31st of May 2023.
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