GBOBALO

Ye who took our names

Ye who refused to stay

Nor remain in the grave

But her womb torment and torment

Gbobalo ogbanje gbo kaaba don

Our anger will mark your faces

No more our cherished names

But naanyo ogbanje gbobalo

We’ll mourn you no more

You who refuse to stay long

On the land and in the grave

We’ll not spit

But our saliva lick

Our wells have dried up

Our pots are broken

Our tears they overflow

At your soul we’ll hoot and shoot

Or gather no more we because of you

We dig no more into the earth, you to lay

Into the evil forest go we, you to leave
For termites you to chew

Gbo kaaba don

Gbobalo ogbanje

May the head of the ram

Roll away your feet to leave

Into these dark shadows of no return

Where you once lived

 

Oh cruel spirits of Ogbanje

Of Gbobalo

Gbo kaaba don

Leave

We in peace.

We’ll live!

Leave

With your kola.

In peace we’ll live!

Leave

Drink the blood spill.

In peace we’ll live!

They have come like miners, all

All the water in us to drain

Stolen waters they still take

Even through the same outlet

Long after our pots are broken

Overflowing their tear drops.

You die and refuse to sleep

You who were born

You who refuse to live

Da yie, sleep yaawo jogban

Rest your energetic bodies

We have drawn our net

And our catch has been stale

Keepers of the underworld

Sleep not, rest not

Tie their restless souls

Hold with invisible chains

The unfailing strength

Ours is the well

Already drying up

Its water has dried deep

And our pots fit no more on our waiting heads

They overflow their broken parts

With tears they cannot contain

Spirits of Akokoshie we’ll not call

We refuse your sweet water

For our soul is bitter

Just a drop of your presence

Oh spirits of Ten tso

Receive our heartfelt gratitude

Your solidarity for the past week

Before we laid to rest

Those tireless same faces

Same body 

Same day

Our pots got broken.