How are you? I'm good. I love you.

Dear Blog Diary,

Just another example of how beautifully simple life can be.

They’re all family, but for those who don’t know me well, one of my best friends in the world is in Ghana burying his grandmother. So many stories I could tell and so much of my childhood was spent at the Sarkodie house. Grandma was there for all of it. Funny though…

I don’t know her name.

Kumasi, Ghana…Ashanti tribe, it’s their custom that you don’t use first names speaking to those older than you. Even Ofori hadn’t heard her name until he went to Ghana. 

One of the fondest memories of my childhood was all of the shadowkats boys sitting on the front stoop with our shirts off eating breakfast that grandma made. Usually French toast and some sausage. Don't know how to spell it but sometimes, “buh-fruh.” It’s like a Ghanaian donut.

Sarkodies’ was not at all the nicest place out of the crew but we all went there, because we were always welcome. We were fed even when we weren’t hungry and we were cared for like their own. To this day Mrs. Sarkodie doesn’t know that I smoked cigarettes, and I’m still afraid she will find out. 

I’m going to contradict myself a lot right now but just go with it.

Kofi was organizing for some ceremony to grandma and asked if there was anything I wanted to write to her. Funny, the answer is, no. Was weird because my atheism organically kicked in. First thought...people die, we as organisms are gone, kinda end of story. I don’t speak to my grandmother who passed, let alone having something I would say privately to someone being read by anyone else.

Ironically though, I know exactly what I would say to her. I have no idea how to spell their language, twi, but it goes:

Wo-ho-ti-sen - How are you?

Meh-hoy-ye - I’m good

Meh-dough - I love you

Those are the only things I know how to say in twi, and yet, English or twi, if I could speak to her now I would ask how she is on other other end of this life, I would let her know that I'm good so she can rest, and I'd simply tell her that I love her. 

Three phrases. Life, and sometimes death, is beautifully simple like that.

Best,

E

#ARTiculate