Benjamin Paa Willie (Sunyani, Ghana.)

He cried remember me on his death bed
Husband of thousands
Secret lover of many more
Father of innumerable sons
Daughters meant nothing at all

As his sons paraded before his bed
And stared at a stranger’s face
He cried remember me
And tell your sisters, two or more
I believe each has, to do same

Remember me cried a dying man
A man whose wealth out-famed him
He glared at sons, unknown to him
While artists transferred him unto canvas –
The legacy to sustain his memory

Lucky were his daughters
Who were not permitted into the fortress
Where a dying man cried remember me
Unlike sons, who saw a man
They didn’t like to call father

Lucky were his daughters
Who saw a smile they can remember
A man with big heart that loved all –
The work of the finest artists
Unlike sons who really saw him, his entirety

Daughters remembered the artists’ work
Sons forgot the dying-man
Mothers regretted their wasted years
Artists rejoiced over their gigantic wage
While a dying man cried remember me