Sogakope, my Lassie

by Papisdaff Abdullah Ali (Ghana)

Making a local connection Ghana

I was too young to know what we shared when I had my first intercourse with you. It was around the late 90s and our meeting was facilitated by a relative who at the time lived with you. The funny thing is, as a little kid in lower primary school I wasn't in a position to determine whether that encounter with you was healthy for me or otherwise. Come to think of it, the mere mention of health reminds me of the little scar you gave as a parting gift (events preceding the injury is still fresh on my mind, just as the scar. It is still there on my left eye). Gosh....! That scared me to death. But that's not in any way to suggest that you planned to hurt me because I know it wasn't deliberate. I never thought you and I would ever meet again considering the manner in which we parted. I know my friends would probably at this point start questioning my psychological status. They are perhaps asking “He is also a victim of abuse?”.. “poor boy, how could she do this to him?” among other comments presumably suspicious of my sanity. A few may also be harboring reservations about what we shared, genuine or otherwise, after I revealed how I got the cut on my left eye. I wish you could tell them to chillax, after all ‘no pain no gain’. Now as "fate" would have it, here I am sitting on a bench in your yard flirting with the gentle wind as I ponder over the years of separation between you and i. The soothing sound of the Volta River massaging the sand and pebbles at its bank again reminds me of the intimate and private moments we shared when everyone else was busy with their activities. Honestly, the mere thought of seeing you once more sent my imaginations so far that I started visualizing what I could do to and with you (hoping you would not resist my advances, that way we can say it was consensual). Kept wondering if time and nature have had effects on your ever gorgeous, curvy and "endowed" self, harboring fears of failure to have proper bouts with you. Alas my fears vanished in thin air when my tiny Chinese look alike eyes sighted you. What a moment that was!You reckon that it took me a while to warm up to the occasion, it wasn't deliberate. I had to first honor work obligations. This time, my visit is more corporate than pleasure motivated. All the man hours I spent working and learning was not without crazy fascinations about our next encounter. I kept wondering if you would receive me with the same passionate cuddle and tender caress that would trigger my hunger to dole out a precise stroke on the “right” spot. I must confess that every moment with you was as perfect as I imagined it. Sadly, here I am sitting at my desk at the office, miles away from you hoping that I never left. It’s been nearly a week after I took leave of you, ordinarily, I should not struggle to forget associations of your kind. But truth is I’m struggling to let go of you SOGAKOPE. We have a lot to do together. I can imagine how you are feeling as you read this because its mutual but at least you can take solace in the fact that your primary boy is now a journalist. This won’t be our last, I pledge to return to you soon.