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| Here is only nights and signs |
For alone I came
And alone I shall go
Go in, that home;
Where the cross stood tall
To tell my rooftop.
For alone I came
And alone I shall go
But you shall follow
And so shall every man
Who shut my only door.
The Angel of darkness
Is that my happiness?
My belly boys play with pain
For none knows my return
And know not their turn.
Who will fuel my 'keteke'
Here is only nights and signs
My neighbours cannot hear;
The sound of my tears
For alone I came.
Where are my servants?
I cannot take my plate of cake
I cannot reign my days of grace
For alone I came
And alone I shall rest in peace.
: written by Afrikaba Kwesi
SUMMARY OF COMMENTARY : for alone i came and alone i shall go
This poem is one of the amazing ones that has a deep touch of sorrow and inspires the living. It unfolds two contradicting scenes; BIRTH AND DEATH. The speaker in the TITLE was alive and indicated where she was going; 'THAT HOME'
That however made us to understand that the speaker died in a short time and the TRAGEDIES OF SORROW began to uncovered whiles she spoke to no one in particular.
This five stanza poem has a Biblical reflection of the dead and the living, while capturing the unknown, the unseemly home of the dead and its forever rest. Meanwhile it sends a strong feelings to the living on how death is unfriendly and unjustifiably by man. If you study its lines and understands the message, you will come in agreement with the Author; the sadness and the darker part of man. The pain and the unforeseen side of man. Be ready!, this is Life and Death...
Stanza 1
Line 1 and 2
'For alone i came
And alone i shall go'
When a man is born, he is born alone. Everyone came to this world alone, even the twins were born one after the other. This is the amazing works of God. To tell man that life is not shared. So as a man is born so shall he die. Therefore man shall die individually. The dust you came from and unto the dust you shall return.
Line 3, 4 and 5
Go in, that home
Where the cross stood tall
To tell my rooftop
Where are you going to stay after death? This is one questions people ask most. The spiritual front is known by the Devine Being. For the purposes of this poem, your home is the six feet pit dug by men. The grave yard will be your residence untill you face judgement by our Lord Jesus Christ.
The cross on the grave yard indicate the place of burial of the dead. Or the grave stone will indicate who is dead.
The rooftop is the grave yard.
So your beautiful mansions will not be your home anymore when you die. All is vanity.
STANZA 2
line 3'4
BUT YOU SHAL FOLLOW
SO SHALL EVERY MAN
Here the speaker; reffered as the dead is telling the living that, though he died alone, but he is not going to be alone. The living shall also die,and join the home of the dead. So shall every man, when the days of a man come to an end he cannot resist to go. Whether young or old, rich or poor, death awaits you.
line 5
WHO SHUT MY ONLY DOOR.
which door is she referring to?
The casket
The grave or
Life
People will shut the door of your casket when you die, people will also cover your grave. Thus when you die, you become a non living thing. You cannot do anything on your own. The DOOR reffering to LIFE.
Only God knows the life span of every man. In his commandment, it is wtitten DO NOT KILL
So why do you plan the death of your brother. Here the speaker spoke with anger, but truthful message that he who took away his only life shall also follow. It sounds like a curse but it is actually an end cycle phenomenon of the human race.
STANZA 3
line 1
THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS
TV's pretty sad when angels said to be blessings and lights turn to emit darkness. But why should people die? Death is not a good thing, but man needs to die to fulfill the the words of God. To meet judgments of his deeds. And the angel of death will spare no man on earth. Especially the wicked.
Line 2'3
IS THAT MY HAPPINESS?
MY BELY BOYS PLAY WITH PAIN
Do the dead have happiness? This will be base on judgement according to works. The choice is two,now that you live; to do good or evil. Because the dead has no choice of HELL OR PARADISE.
The speaker was sad for her children, her belly boys suffered the pain of men. But she cannot do anthing with the living.
Line 4'5
FOR NON KNOW MY RETURN
AND KNOW NOT THEIR TURN
This is the most saddest part of the world we live. When a beloved dies, he or she is gone forever. How people wish they could say goodbye to their beloveds. However the jouney that makes no return do not inform the next victim. For nobody knows tomorrow. We should always be prepared for the hour is neaar.
STANZA 4
WHO WILL FUEL MY 'KETEKE'?
The train moves in only two directions, thus forwards or backwards. If the coal that powers the engine runs out, it stops. Life is full of many direction, but death has no directions. It is immovable. The inertia of it is unknown to man. This makes death the darker part of Gods creations.And no one can restore the life of the dead apart from Him.
HERE IS ONLY NIGHTS AND SIGNS
MY NEIGHBOURS CANNOT HEAR;
of course the cemetery has nothing better to offer than a silence place. THAT HOME where ther is no secrets in the darkness, for everything is seen under the heavens.
But why wouldn't the neighbours of the speaker hear? For they are all equally dead. There is no activity found for the dead. Even the most powerful being would go on silence. You and I haven't been dead before, otherwise, perhaps we would have known what goes on in our silence home.
STANZA 5
WHERE ARE MY SERVANTS
A day will come when you become nothing before men.the shouts and screams will not be heard by your servants. Neither would your servants accompany you to THAT HOME, a home where you cannot acquire anything. For all mastership shall end on earth.
FOR I CANNOT TAKE MY PLATE OF CAKE.
you can only enjoy your favourite dishes while you live. What you toiled for would not be an asset to you anymore. Men would celebrate your death with your birthday cake. Its very pity!
I CANNOT REIGN MY DAYS OF GRACE
the speake remembered her days on earth. The respect, the glory, the praise and the power she enjoyed. This is to remind us of how powerless the dead is. The kingdoms of men shall pass away. The kingdom of God shall abid forever and ever.
SUMMARY OF MORALS
Everything including man shall pass away
But Gods words shall remain. The motive behind this extraordinary poem is to know that;
All men are equal hence we must treat them equally. Don't think you are better than anyone.
No matter how powerful you are, you cannot buy life.
All men shall meet judgement in the Christian perspective and other beliefs.
The dead has nothing to do with the living.
Everything under the sun is vanity; your degree, certificates,awards, houses,cars,your beautiful skin and hair, the billions of money saved. Dont let your boastful heart deceive you to hell.
Whatever man do in dakness shall be seen in the light.
Always remember that there is a God who keep us moving.
If you have lost someone special in your life, don't grief so much, move on in life for everything has a purpose of happening. Just thank God for your life. He is always there to comfort you in time of grief. If you have life, make someone happy, let them appreciate your presence, make a difference today.
T O U C H I N G L I V E S !
Thank you for your time. Please don't fotget to send in your comments and suggestions. I would like to make a review on this commentary in the full version of the poem and its commentaries.
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All right reserved (C) 2015 Frimpong Gilbert
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