Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Cheated

Two former top-of-the-class students
Now aspiring entrepreneurs
Sit in rickety crap in a snaking traffic downtown
In the distance the arresting siren
A leader being escorted in tax-funded convoy
Soon the show comes into view
Seconds of sharpened focus later
The unmistakable image of their former classmate
The bottom-of-the-class chump
Now a minister of state
The theatre of the absurd on a taunting display

12 comments:

The Author said...

Life's like that. The cream does not always rise to the top. Ha ha ha.

Blogoratti said...

Ah lovely!!

Aku$hika said...

lol! it is comforting to know he wasn't smart enough not to get caught.

Kwegyirba said...

Hahaha. I was commenting on how in Africa, it seems like the top of the range fools are the one's in politics on Pen Powders blog only yesterday. And they are rewarded for it! What kind of society do we live in?

posekyere said...

Love the way you put it. Clever!
I suppose you are right, NY.
The 'denser' among us sometimes mysteriously float to the top above everybody else.

posekyere said...

Thanks Blogoratti.
Good to read that you loved it.

posekyere said...

Yes lucci.
It can be argued that even the dumb do possess strengths in their own kind of way.Lol
Thanks for visiting this wall. I will check on yours asap.

posekyere said...

You are so right, Kwegyirba!
The irony is that they think that all of us are ignorant of the fact that they are the top of the range fools.
The fact remains though that in Africa most people allow themselves to be deceived by these goons because of material gain.
Perhaps our expectations of leadership is nothing to write home about.

Kajsa Hallberg Adu said...

Let me just butt in here, its not just in Africa!!!

Well put, Posekyere, love the down-town upbeat rhythm of the poem. And the accuracy of it, today two (2!) "Leaders being escorted in tax-funded convoy" passed me in traffic...

posekyere said...

Thanks Kajsa.
In almost all careers and professions, one is expected to have some form of core competencies,solid educational qualification, skills and experience. This sadly does not seem to apply to politicians.
Mediocrity, incompetence and lack of accountability are as acceptable as it gets.
In Africa in particular there are no sets of pre-requisites for our political leaders.
That I believe is sad.

Esi Cleland Yankson said...

I will have to be the dissenting voice here. I'm of the opinion that success in politics requires skills which the class-room smart may not have honed. Especially in our part of the world, a person who is smart in books may perhaps not be good with people, may perhaps lack presence, or charisma...key ingredients for successful public life.

I'm reluctant to buy that fools are in politics. I'm of the view that they were strong in other areas, which may have not been tested in school. Perhaps if the teachers had tested ability to think on the spot, or say how to work a crowd, we would have identified a different set of "smart people". There are many kinds of intelligence. Those who happen to be good in the area being tested are those who are "smart" in that context.

posekyere said...

Eish Esi.
I love a good debate.
I am very much aware of different kinds of intelligence. I however fail to see the equation of a political intelligence which has no bearing whatsoever with any of the everyday concepts taught at school.
A politician should not necessarily be a genius but must have a middle-floor understanding of issues. The chump with the below-basement understanding can be a noise-maker, a goon, nothing more. As they say, the empty barrel makes the most noise, and most people hear only the noise.

Gee Esi, I see you have the good genes for leadership. I believe you will end as a politician one of these days. And, as you know, I will vote for you anytime any day.
I love your sharp mind.
Have a beautiful weekend.