TRIBUTE TO MISTER BIRD

TRIBUTE TO MISTER BIRD

(For Lord Mayor Patrick Asaah Ndangoh, because once a Lord Mayor, always a Lord Mayor)

I`ve just bought a new cell phone

It carries the brand name, “BIRD”

That makes me think of “Mister Bird”

The name given to Eric

By Patrick, far back then

When we were growing up in Bamenda.

But then, “Mister Bird”. Why “Mister Bird”?

Yes, a bird is small

Perhaps it`s so that it can fly

Even so, not all things fly

You didn`t give Eric and animal name

However, what is wrong with naming someone, anyway?

Did Innocent not innocently call

‘Eric’, “Ni Evik”, instead of  “Ni Eric”?

And did Kenneth not call “Kareen”

“Taayeen”, instead of ‘Kareen”?

Even Pa, our humorous father

Called our mother, Ma Theresa, “Woman Salt”

Simply because

One day she came into the store while we were working

So when Pa asked her what she wanted

And she said she wanted salt

Pa immediately concluded:

 “That mean say you be woman salt.”

Once again we were in the same store

And Charlie started humming a song

Pa stopped working, looked at Charlie with a lot of pity

And told him: “You sabi sing some your song dem wey de not get meaning, eh!”

That was one goal against Charlie

But he returned Pa`s goal at once by saying

“But Pa, no be na you tell Ma Theresa say ye be woman salt?

“Woman salt na weti?”

Pa burst out laughing

And we all laughed with him.

Come to think of it

Patrick has the right

To call Eric, “Mister Bird”

In any case, I have never heard Eric complain

Therefore he likes his name

So, let`s not be more Bonapartist than Napoleon.