Poetry Corner with Kwesi BISSUE: It takes one

It takes the streaming stylus

And the copious papyrus

Of one

To write the flowing lines

And it takes the readiness of all

Through their reading lenses

And their yearning faculties

To read between the lines

So all will learn

 

It takes one

To blaze a trail

It takes one

To set sail

For all to tread on the heels

Of that one

So all will prevail

 

It takes one

The vision of the pathfinder

To lead all

To their vision

To give all

A better vision of their mission

So all will sail

 

It takes one

The wise one

To move all

To rise up

And wise up

To move all

To befriend common sense

So all will win

 

It takes one

The light of the bright one

For all

To shine so bright

For all

To think so right

So all will see

 

It takes one

To create veritable abundance

For all

To share in the teeming abundance

For all

To enjoy plentiful sustenance

So all will feed

 

It takes only one

To trudge from zero to hero

It takes the total victory

Of only one hero

For all

To bask in the glory

Of the story from zero to hero

So all will rise

 

It takes one

The unflinching candour of one

The honest disposition of one

To shame all

To shame the dishonest posture of all

To prod the withered consciences of all

So all will share

 

It takes one

The inspirational drive of one

To drive the motivation of all

To motivate the drive of all

So all will move

 

It takes one

The foresight of the farsighted one

To unshackle the insight of all

To breed foresight

Into the sight

Of the shortsighted ones

So all will comprehend

 

It takes one

The selfless devotion of one

To kindle selflessness in all

To disperse selfishness in all

So all will be equal

 

It takes one

One big heart

To contain the effusions

Of all

To avert a total conflagration

Of a nation

So all will dream peace

 

It takes one

The pain of one

To assuage the pain of all

To festoon the festering pain of all

To deaden to a numb

So all will endure

 

It takes one bad human nut

To make humanity all come to nought

To bring all human activity

To nothing

So all will perish

 

And yet it takes one

To drive all and sundry

All in the fatherland

To do something great

Something great for all

So all will flourish

(C) SKBissue April 2020 (Revised April 2026)

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