By J E SOLOMON

My name is ‘Cedi’

I was conceived in Ghana

But not born (printed) in Ghana

I had to be air-lifted to Ghana after birth

A delivery supervised probably by De La Rue

The official “midwife” for all currency births

The same company that monitored my home-coming

 

I’ve lived in Ghana my whole life

With virtually no international recognition

I’ve come in different colors over the years

And appeared in different sizes and denominations

I’ve always been weak and never been strong enough

Even among my local neighbors

I’m particularly weak when you compare me

Against the Euro

Or the Queen’s Pound

The Swiss Franch

The US Dollar

The Japanese Yen

The Australian Dollar

Or the Canadian Dollar

The US Dollar actually doesn’t have strength

It has always been a pretender, a bully, you may say

Always flexing its muscles

Unlike me, the Dollar is conceived and born in the US

I cannot pretend to be strong

And behave like the US Dollar

I don’t have super power status behind me

I have no warships, missiles and artillery power

Satellites and drones to flex my muscles

If I decide to do self reprints at home

The US Dollar is printed in the US

And road transported into banks

I have to be printed elsewhere

And air-lifted into my country of residence

 

My strongholds have been decimated

I no longer have Cocoa power behind me

The Gold and Diamond that have supported me

Have always been sold raw and cheap

When they could be processed

Right where I live, in my own land

So I can have a say in the sale-price determination

Of the final refined products

Now, the oil from the bosom of my ocean

There’s some politico-nonsense about its exploitation

So here I’m in the midst of world currencies

Still struggling to survive

In a land blessed by Nature with EVERYTHING

The GOOD and especially the BAD.

 

 

Copyright © 2014 John E Solomon. All rights reserved

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