raphaeltakyi

YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE

I once heard the most painful thing ever. I heard an AC Milan fan say on top of his chest that even if they were not to play in the Champions League for a 1000 years, Arsenal would never match the feat they’ve managed to achieve in the tournament. I’m sure my dear Milanista (If there’s even something like that) could not fathom why Arsenal always managed to play among the elites while his own team seem lost in the woods. Well, I wonder what the Los Blancos will say then seeing they’ve lifted the trophy more than Chelsea has won the premiership. But at that instant I was glad I wasn’t a Gooner.

I can bet my last penny that a similar encounter ensued back in the 90s, where a Liverpool fan dared some Red Devil guy. Fast forward to 2017 and our dear brothers always walk alone. Before you start thinking the unimaginable, I’m not saying Arsenal will do the unthinkable, because with Sanchez smiling at every loss, and some sheets to balance, the tortoise is more likely to win a race than Arsenal lift the cup. But truth is, these two may not even be the people to lead Arsenal back to the days of glory. After all, Iwobi is still around. LOL

I love good football just as much as I love G.O.O.D Music. I’ve seen the likes of Ronaldinho and Messi, so I understand when people claim to be Catalans. I’ve seen Manchester United and their magic at the Camp Nou. I’ve seen Chelsea bring glory to London. Real Madrid is not tired of winning. Bayern Munich is a joy to watch seeing they keep adding to their trophies. Juventus has been quite phenomenal ever since they came back from the drop. Well, there’s nothing worthwhile to say about AC Milan and Inter Milan since they’re more concerned meandering in and out of consciousness.

One thing that has baffled me my entire life; not the famous creation story, neither the controversial theory of evolution, nor the big bang, is Liverpool fans. There are a few unimaginable things; like the crocodile eating its own hatchlings, Trump banning immigrants when he’s married to one, Ghana spending over $4million on ministers’ salaries, but to lose an 18 league trophies advantage? Damn!!!! That must be hell for the fans. I tend to understand people who are actually from the land because almost every team out there seem to have its own support base and someway somehow, they remain loyal.

However, back home some sect would not let go off Liverpool and support a better team. I nearly branded them masochist until I witnessed the greatest comeback in Champions League history. It may even suffice to say in the history of the beautiful game. A certain tried and tested Barcelona, after trailing 4 – nil, made an unimaginable comeback to seal qualification into the next round. Truth is, as a fan, I had given up, until that flick from Roberto.

On that faithful day, I cast my mind back to that faithful evening, on the 26th of May, 2005, when a certain team in red did what at that time was the greatest comeback in Champions League history. Barcelona had 90 minutes to recover from a 4-goal deficit, Liverpool had just 45 minutes to recover from 3 goals, and they did it in style.

So, if I feel I owe Barcelona the loyalty of my support, there is no better team than Liverpool for supporters to throw in all their loyalty irrespective of some barren years. So anytime you think Merseyside, think just the Red and anytime you shout Liverpool, be sure there’s some OG around the corner to give you the famous We Will Walk Alone. So if you are a fan, and you are Red, walk on, walk on with hope in your heart and you will never walk on.

Image Credit: Kierran Carroll Designs, Google Images

QUOD SCRIPSI, SCRIPSI

After a humbling 5 – 1 result at the Allianz Arena, just as it was supposed to be, the usual Arsenal is a bad team was on the lips of every football fan. I doubt if anyone expected something different. It was a beautiful game of football. I personally hate it when after blinking my eyes for less than 90 times in 5400 seconds, the beautiful game ends goalless. In fact, that’s the reason I sought refuge in basketball because you’re never denied the thrill of cheering every second. The dunks, blocks, crosses, alleys, shots, its just a joy to behold. But then, the beautiful game will always be the beautiful game and like a pitiful boyfriend who never gets over a heartbreak, I find myself going back to my ex. Well, the angel you know is better than the devil you don’t know (I wonder why they always say the devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know. Man! Be positive small) so football over basketball on any day.

I was happy there were goals galore. Truth is, I personally had no interest in the game but sometimes you just can’t resist the temptation of watching. The atmosphere alone in the TV room, my brother, you can’t miss that. The AC Milan fans who can’t say from the top of their heads the last time they played in the Champions League; The Liverpool fans who are as old as the last time they won the Premiership; the Chelsea fans who for reason have balls enough to claim supremacy; some recent breed of Juventus fans (most of them are Gunners by the way) who are creeping through crevices; and last but not least, the famous ASU (Against Supporters Union) won’t make you regret spending 90 minutes of your time when in fact you find it difficult opening a chapter in BAJA. May the Lord help us.

I wasn’t happy because a lot of people were. They talk like Arsenal has been cursed. Cursed never to see the light of a quarter finals in the CL. Cursed for trying to be the first London club to lift the trophy. Cursed for trying to battle Barcelona for a CL, something the likes of Ronaldinho had labored for. Not that Arsenal did not do much for a berth in the final, but that it was the only CL that the great Ronaldinho had to settle for.

So I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t happy because people thought there was no way in the world Arsenal could qualify. Come on! We all did probability somewhere along the line. So it was annoying when people would just conclude and not leave any window of opportunity. Dude! Even prisons have windows. Well, truth is, I was trying to exhibit some optimism, something I don’t really do often. Arsenal had given me such opportunity. So I held on to it, like a baby suckling on a mother’s breast, milking every colostrum I could get. Also I have a few Arsenal friends I sympathize with, so I had to join them and argue my heart out that Arsenal was going to do it. It was Arsenal’s 100th home game in the CL under Wenger and they had won on 9 occasions with more than 4 goals so come on, Arsenal all the way.

I had some score to settle so I couldn’t make it to the game in time. You know, even if Arsenal was going to win by a 7 goal margin, man must survive. I finished the last bowl of stew in my fridge, went to the TV space only for Arsenal to score. “If it is coming, it is doing”. That’s what I said. At that moment, I knew I would pass for a prophet because my prediction was in the pipeline; Arsenal will qualify. Arsenal was playing with the confidence only seen in the few minutes when a guy is planning on some lyrics to woo a girl. Then Lewandowski scores from a spot-kick, and Arsenal is back to factory settings; concede a goal and start playing poorly. The goals started flooding, and I was smiling. Not at the fact that Arsenal was losing, but that I wasn’t wasting my time. My faith had also taken another leap because as it is written in John 19:22; what is written, is written.

I HAVE A DREAM

Insanity is doing something over and over and over again, yet expecting a different result – Albert Einstein, may his soul rest in perfect peace.

Independence day is here again, and just like the human female at that time of the month, the mood swings, the cramps, the mess of the few indecent ones, name them, cannot be unexpected. 60 years down the line (something that has baffled me all my life) we stand at the brink of failure, waiting for a little push, but not to success. Today, the streets of Accra shall be adorned with the famed colors. Roads will be block, V8s shall patrol the streets. Children shall march on empty stomachs, a few people will collapse, and even fewer ambulances will be available. Eyes will be glued to televisions; patriotism shall be the talk of town. The rulers of the land shall sit, and the Ghana Cedi will be lost all in the name of independence day but the bigger question is, are we truly independent?

The oxford dictionary defines independence as “free from outside control; not subject to another’s authority” but more importantly, “not depending on another for livelihood or subsistence” and most importantly, “capable of thinking or acting for oneself”. Yes, words cannot be minced. I look at all these and wonder… Are we really free? Probably, if being free equates to peace. Are we independent? Hell yeah, today is independence day right? Are we capable of thinking for ourselves? Of course, we are that smart to allow the Chinese to pollute our water bodies for some few dollars. So congratulations Ghana because you have met all the criteria for independence according to the oxford dictionary.

60 years, even though I feel is a misnomer, is no small feat. So let’s play a game. Let’s call it when I’m 60. What do you hope to have achieved by the time you are 60? You can tell me in the comments. But to mention a few, we all hope to have had the best of education, saved enough for our health, living in our dream house with the woman we love, saved enough for the education of our kids, travelled the world, probably the CEO of our company, or maybe the big boss elsewhere. The dreams are so big that sometimes we hardly sleep at night and the silence can be so loud that wish we could pull the future forward and live right in it right now but some things are beyond our reach and we need to play to the tune of nature.

60 years post independence, and our beloved has done nothing but failed the youth, deprived our aged of a peaceful home call, made the future bleak for the kids, and the wellbeing of the people ae not considered. We hide behind the 60 years and think we are a young country. Really? Life doesn’t start when we are no longer under parental control. It’s starts there, right there in the womb. Right there in the womb where our parent’s genetics can give us diseases we will carry for as long as we live. Right there in the womb where thalidomide can decide whether we get limbs or not. Right there in the womb where our mother’s ignorance can make us see the light or go back from whence we came. Right there in the womb where our mother’s promiscuous life can deform us. That’s where it starts. And then every step or misstep, every decision or indecision, every good or evil, will make us or mar us.

We live in a Ghana that is no different from the one our father’s fathers lived in save a few Kuffour’s Hotel and Dubai interchange. We live in a Ghana where we value propaganda than policies. My Ghana can rear guniea fowls and feed them in Burkina. Yes! That’s our Ghana. My Ghana cannot construct the Kumasi-Accra highway even though it is the busiest and economically important highway. Our parliamentarians enjoy their ex-gratia as much as they enjoy absenting themselves from parliament. Our presidents are quick to ask for houses as much as they are quick to abandon affordable housing. Our politicians are quick at heckling speeches than reviewing documents before they sign. I am no economics genius but I feel we can generate enough income from our harbors and toll booths all around the country. This and many more can we do if we really are 60.

But as Martin Luther (may his soul rest in perfect peace) said, I have a dream. I have a dream that one day our leaders will commute with us in our famous “trotro” and spare some money for national developmental. I have a dream that one day our parliamentarians will sacrifice their ex-gratia for a hospital in that village. I have a dream that one day our National Health Insurance will be as strong as it once was. I have a dream that one day we will not borrow from China that has more mouth to feed than we do. I have a dream that one day every region will have a university, a tertiary hospital and an airport. I have a dream that one day every child will at least have tertiary education. I have a dream that one day Ghanaians will patronize Apostle Safo’s goods.

Today we will sing an anthem that is the most powerful and sweetest I’ve heard in my entire life. But now it is as empty as the people who sing it. Indeed, God has blessed our homeland as the opening verse rightly says but the rest I fear might have been cast into the fiery chasm of Mordor. Our nation is neither great nor strong, we are not bold to defend the freedom and rights of our people, we cherish humility and honesty no more, and the worst of it, we cannot resist the oppressor’s rule. So why do we sing? Why do we even stand when we know we will sit when freedom and rights are being trampled upon? Why do we stand when we know we will sit and watch the tax payers money go down the drain? But I know I will stand also for I am no better than you all. I know I will still stand because I have been taught to follow. I know I will stand because above all my love for our beloved still prevails.

My dear Ghanaians, there is a charge for us to keep, and that is to make our voice loud and be heard. Forget the ice bucket challenge. To hell with the mannequin challenge. Today and as long as we live is the “#Ihaveadream4gh” challenge. I cannot say all because I do not know all. Let us make sure they know our dreams. Let us sing them loud and clear. I know they will listen and I know our leaders are competent to act. God bless our homeland Ghana and God bless us all. Happy Independence Day.

TRY JESUS

It’s a brave new world
Where we trade urgency for currency
We go miles for the pleasure
And forget where we’ll take leisure
It’s all inconsequential

There’s food for the belly
And food for thought
But then there’s one for the soul
Yet we thirst sitting by the oasis
And hunger under the fig tree

They celebrate the papas
And adore their mamas
But starve the man of the millenium
All he needs is a mouth
And a voice to utter some praise

There is a way that seems right
But the end is that of death
Likewise a way that seems right
And the end is also right
But they’ll mistake the choices for abilities

Many are called
But not few are chosen
Few however make the choice
So don’t wait for the glory
Make your handiwork glorious

There’s nothing wrong with the ignorance
Just don’t make it too obvious
There’s nothing wrong with the pride
When you know you’ve fought a good one
Whatever the case may be
It’s never late to try Jesus.

VANITY

Why a straight face?
It’s alright to be gay
Life isn’t just short
We forget It’s a bliss
Get the hell up and dance

It may mean nothing to you
But too much of everything is bad
So a lil bit of love, a lil bit of lust
A lil bit of smoke, a lil bit of hooch
Less of stupidity, after you’re 23

Never give what you won’t get
Make opportunities count
A blow for a good home run
A first base for a second base
Never for the money though

Papa says it’s a sin
What kind of sin is it then?
Damn, it tastes so sweet
Well, something must kill a man
And it damn won’t be a man

Better late than never
But never late is better
So never keep her waiting
Be a man, stay for long
Else don’t even come

What is it that he said?
“Controlled usage can’t be fatal
Abstinence ain’t immortality”
So maybe take a sip or two
Puff a Lil, and don’t enter anyhow
But make sure to end at the altar

GHANA, MORE THAN A HOME

I come from the west
Not of the world
But of Africa
Rich in culture
Blessed with beautiful women

I come from blood, and gold, and green
An emblem of love, riches and harmony
I come from the black star
It echoes hope in the doldrums of despair
Bless the gods, I was made here

They call it a country
I call it home
They call its people citizens
I call them family
Blessed with humor

They say she’s a warrior king
I say she’s a mother
She feeds her young ones
She trades power for peace
Above all, a gateway to hope

I come from one, but we are ten
Ten in one, the trinity must envy
I speak just one, but there are many
A sense of diversity in unity
And unity in strength

Hail the words of of our anthem
God bless our homeland
Make our nation great and strong….
Fill our hearts with true humility
Make us cherish fearless honesty

The beauty of the sun up north
The breeze in the south
The greens sandwiched in between
There’s nothing more beautiful
It’s just breathtaking

But there’s a charge to keep
A home to keep building
That part of the bridge to fix
That brother to lend a hand
And that prodigal son to bring home

I have a dream of a home
A home without tribes
I have a dream of a home
With men and women
Full of fearless honesty

So wherever you are
North or South, East or West
Let’s all join with Amu
And sing for the world to hear
“Yɛn ara asaase ni
Ɛyɛ aboɔden de ma yɛn
Mogya a nananom hwie gui
Nya de too hɔ maa yɛn
Aduru me ne wo nso
Sɛ yɛbɛyɛ bi atoa so
Nimdeɛ ntraso, nkoto-kranne
Adi yɛn bra mu dɛm
Ma yɛn asaase ho dɔ atom sɛɛ

Ɔman no, sɛ ɛbɛyɛ yie oo
Ɛyɛ nsennahɔ sɛ
Ɔmanfo bra na ɛkyɛrɛ

LET’S EAT

Come! Let’s dine together

No need to buy, I’ve got a recipe

It’s hot and saucy

It sure will rock your world

You’ve got a plate, I have a stick

That’s all we need for some Chinese

Your plate? Damn, It’s deep

My stick? Never mind. Just come

Don’t be perturbed, I know your cravings

A cup half-filled with juice

Some cream in a soufflé cup

And nutmeg to get you high

I know your dislike for Bolt

Such a runner, but for short distances

The marathon shows at 06:09 GMT

We will watch while we eat

I’ve got you a present

Wrapped, ready to use

Just keep it in a little longer

Or better still, play with it

Let’s go over some table manners

Don’t eat before you pray

Don’t choke on my juice

And go slowly as possible

Now let us eat, I’m famished

Let’s lick some honey first

Let’s hold hands and say some words

And then consume till we can no more

SEDUCTION

Come baby, let’s drink to our accomplishment

And sacrifice our sanity for ecstasy

No need for underwear

For tonight we are free

Make your lips bleed

Fill the room with your fragrance

Take off your heels and let me hold you

Pull you slowly and closely

Till your breast embrace my chest

And there’s no air in between

See my veins as I lift you up

And feel my blood rush through them

Let me take you up to the sofa

And play some music to spice our night

For the day is ours

And there’s no need to rush

I take off my vest to reveal my packs

It looks like 6 but I wanted 9

Never mind, just focus on what’s below

Cos it’s a perfect compass

And you’re the North

Permit me to undress you

Set some fire in you as I take off the bra

Feel the chills as I hold your curves

And get wet without the rains

Let’s set the world on fire

For tonight we are one

You look so exhausted, honor my fingers

To give you that massage you’ve never had

Let it touch your hair, your ear and lips

Let it fondle your towers, and rub against your back

To take away the pain, for we need no obstacles

I have liqor, let me pour you a glass

There’s some ice, I’ll fetch it in a minute

Don’t get too drunk, just tipsy

And tell me how you need me badly

For the same thought echoes in my ears

Allow me to kiss your lips

And whisper into your ears

A little bit of dirty, a little bit of sweet

You have no idea the things I can say

And only your kiss can unleash them

THINKING OUT LOUD

It’s either the devil is too resilient or God is not that powerful enough. We pray binding the devil all day, yet we attribute every wrongdoing to him. Who the hell sets him free? We set fire on him all the time, forgetting he resides in a hell fire right? God must be really jealous of him because His children talk about him more than Him. What about we focussed all our energy on Elohim, and gave him praise every second irrespective of what happened. After all He said with me all things are possible. He never said all good things are possible. So let’s accept the bad, the ugly and the spoilt as Gods own doing or better still our own mistakes. In that way we can approach life in a better perspective, be the masters of our doings and stop blaming that poor heavenly creature who was thrown down from his abode. More about God, with a lot of hardwork, plus less of the devil blame-game, we will become a better people.. Peace.

Just thinking out loud.

THE COLLEGE DROPOUT

Kanyewest_collegedropout For the INTRO, WE DON’T CARE what people say. GRADUATION DAY ain’t for all of us cos eventually we ALL FALLS DOWN.

Just want you to know that I’LL FLY AWAY in a SPACESHIP to see where JESUS WALKS, for I know He’ll NEVER LET ME DOWN if I GET ‘EM HIGH.

Even when I ignore the WORKOUT PLAN and adopt the NEW WORKOUT PLAN at the SLOW JAMS.

BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT valedictorian in your SCHOOL SPIRIT for my SCHOOL SPIRIT ain’t their SCHOOL SPIRIT.

LIL’ JIMMY told me TWO WORDS, three actually, “THROUGH THE WIRE” cos in the end, FAMILY BUSINESS is the LAST CALL.

If it ain’t working, just DROPOUT