A Letter to Agora 

By Kwaku Arthur 

Dear Agora,

I say namaste 
To your irreplaceable scenery 

To the welcoming taste of tea

To chacha-ji and Pana-ji

And terraces as far as my eyes can see

To the ever-so majestic mountains 

Scraping the sky

An extension from where I currently lie

To the power which links your people to the lands

With whom we do not simply give but share helping hands 

For in giving, one truly receives 

Not something we can do without 

But something we feel within 

You have taught me that one does not simply climb up to you

Climb

No 

Not something its speaker has such little realization of utterance 

Rather

One ascends

For in ascending one transcends the domesticated lives we think of as complex 

O what little insight I had on the

Complexity of life ’til I met the 

Agora woman 

With work in abundance and

Children to look after

She keeps these in balance without 

A hint of anger. 

Little by little you have shown me 

their strength

Little by little you have shown me 

my own strength 

Physically, mentally and, most importantly, the strength of my digestive system 

I sit here with a grin, thinking, “is the expiry date really best before or best after?”

Questions I might never figure out 

I sit here questioning if I’ll ever be 

the same

After hearing these children shouting 

my name 

As I return to where I came 

Agora 

Everyone should get the opportunity to experience you 

For one can read this and think

Nothing of you 

But for those who see you as you are

Think the world of you and may 

Never stop