golden spirits | Teen Ink

golden spirits

March 5, 2023
By MylaManu-Arkhurst BRONZE, Columbus, Ohio
MylaManu-Arkhurst BRONZE, Columbus, Ohio
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

my country was built

on foundations of gold.


from the very dawn of time, 

we have been one 

with the earth and the sky.


the power of Ɔbɔadeɛ 

has given us 

divine strength.


the grace of Asase Yaa

has given us 

divine knowledge.


in our time of need

they listened.

in our time of need

they gave.

 

my country was built

on foundations of gold.


from the sky descended

the very soul 

of our nation.


in the form of a stool,

our spirit laid.

Sika Dwa Kofi: all parts living, dead, and not yet born.


my country was built

on foundations of gold.


the stool’s surface shone

a perfectly pure 

golden.


within the stool laid

the might of the forest

and the repose of the desert.

 

to us the stool manifests

the royalty of the heavens

and the dignity of the stars.


my country was built 

on foundations of gold.


the stool cannot be touched

and yet touches

every corner of the cosmos.                          


throughout time it has remained,

and throughout time it will stay.

its soul speaks to us all.


Sika Dwa Kofi 

embraces us all.

and through it,

our golden spirits 

shine.


my country was built

on foundations of gold.


The author's comments:

The poem golden spirits abstractly describes the story of the Golden Stool, an artefact belonging to the culturally rich Asante people, an ethnic group native to Ghana. The poem portrays the sacredness and significance of the Golden Stool and its place in the spirit of the Asante people, within the context of African Cosmology. Words appearing unfamiliar belong to the Twi dialect of the Akan language: Ɔbɔadeɛ means "Creator" and is one of many names for the supreme being of the traditional Akan religion (God), Asase Yaa means "Mother Earth" and is secondary to God, and Sika Dwa Kofi is the Akan name for the Golden Stool.


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