S Kojo Frimpong
In the land of the blind,
The one-eyed man is king.
In the land of the deaf,
Can we find the one who hears with only one ear?
Anybody can become king,
Only if everyone plays dumb.
But silence has a price to pay,
It is golden.
The price of our silence crowned a mad king—
One who can see, hear, and speak,
Yet is very blind, deaf, and dumb.
How can a kingdom strive?
Manuella Makafui Kudjo
When the king is more blind than the blind,
When the king is more deaf than the deaf,
When the king is more dumb than the dumb,
How can a kingdom strive?
When the king is more dead than the buried man,
And refuses to listen, see, and hear
From those who can see, hear, and talk,
All because the mad king perhaps thinks
He is better than the rest of his people.
King, listen!
The deaf pleads.
King, see!
The blind man begs.
The dumb man signs,
And together they cry, King, think!
Even the madman makes his point—
Why have a voice, sight, and hearing
When you cannot think, reason, and lead?
You lead your people to doom
With your foolishness.
If I cannot see, hear, or talk,
At least I can think.
But, unfortunately, my great king
Has a voice, eyes, and ears—
Yet he cannot think.
Why have eyes, ears, and a mouth
When it is the mind that controls them all….
What happens when it ceases to function?
