Sing me no sad songs
No do me wrong songs
No somebody done somebody wrong songs
Sing me no sad songs

Sing me no sad songs of yester-dreads
Sing me no sad songs of falling heads
Sing me no abuse songs
Sing me no Blues songs

Song me a blood red song
Sing me that happy song
A rata-ta-ta Stormy Monday song
Tuesday t' will be ours
Tuesday will be ours
Sing me that happy song

Sing me a song of  The Thrill Is Gone
Gone, gone, from rusty needles
Sing  me the song of  The Thrill is Gone
Gone, gone, from rusty needles
Sing me a song of  the time form lamentation's gone
Sing me a song of  the time form lamentation's gone
And The Thrill is Gone from decibels and VU meters
Yes, The Thrill is Gone from decibels and VU meters
From fifths and sniffs
From fifths and sniffs
Gone Gone Away For Good, good
And Afromen get high on blood, should
Rivers of enemy's blood flow red, blood red

O, I hate the Blues
Sing me no Blues
No sad song -
Time for lamentation's through

Sing me a bloody Muddy Water song of blood red blood
From M-16 and B.B's guns
Sing me a bloody Monday Morning Bobby
Blue Bland song on Lady Day
When poets have no words
Sing me that song

Sing-me-no-happy-songs
Sing-me-no-sad-songs
Sing me a happy song of death
A song of new frontiers won
And daring heights stand upon
Yea, sing me a sad song of joy
 
Sing me the I hate the Blues song
Sing, sing me the I hate the Blues song
Sing me the song of white liberals and racists will not hear
Sing me that song that will contaminate the white Blues loving radio with death

Sing me no freedom song
Sing me a liberation song
Sing me a song that does not sing
Sing me that song

Sing me a sad song to make Zion sing
Sing me a sad song to make Zion sing:
"I miss that good nigger Blues"
Sing me a song to make Zion sing:
"Why won't those niggers sing, sing"
Sing me a song to make Zion sing:
"I wish that I could so sing"
Sing me that song to make Zion sing:
"I miss them Niggers.. them..them Africans
Sing me that song

Sing me a sad song of Joy!
 
by Kwasi Akyeampong (c)

Being Free
by Kwasi Akyeampong

I do not Want Freedom.

I do not want it.

Freedom is who I am.
I am free.

I do not want to be me.
I am me.

Freedom is the way I be - being free.
Freedom is my being - a human-BEING-being-free.
I do not want freedom.
I am me being free, experiencing that there
are barriers to my experience of freedom - 
and that I am the barriers -
I have a choice to die free or to live wanting 
to be free and I choose what no one can give me - Wanting Freedom.

Most of us who want freedom want it for ourselves – result: a Sisyphus quest - jousting with windmills.
Some of us, like Mandela, declared being free.
N0 jail could hold him.
Sam Sharpe and Nat Turner declared that they would rather die that live not BEING Free -
for Freedom is not about our actions, freedom is the being that give rise to our
actions and our experience of being free.
Freedom is a conversation - speak it, be it.

I am free - right now.
What now?
There are barriers to me experiencing being free -
barriers to my expression of freedom.
Will I be restrained by them?
Will I be free no matter what?
Or will I just want to be free?
Will freedom be my self-expression?
Will freedom be my way of living?
Will I be obsessed by being free?
Will I be a Miles Davis of freedom?
Driven Mozart-ly mad by freedom?
Be Mohammed Ali? - I am Free!
Or will I be stopped and wanting
someone to cross me the hurdles.

I am free and there are barriers to my experience of being free and I am the barriers.
Now I am free no matter what.

Freedom is an expression of who I am - me being free.

Freedom:
Declare it,
Express it,
Be it - no matter what,
Experience Being Free.

So now you know.
What now?

--:KWASI Akyeampong