Emmanuel’s Dream

He would honor them by showing everyone

that being disabled does not mean

being unable.

It was a big dream,

But Emmanuel had a sharp mind,

A bold heart

And one strong leg.

 

All he needed was a bike.

 

At first no one would help.

They thought his plan,

to bicycle around Ghana,

was impossible.

 

Then Emmanuel wrote to the challenged Athletes Foundation, all the way in San Diego, California.

 

They sent him a bike… plus a helmet, shorts, socks, and gloves!

Emmanuel started training for the long ride.

He persuaded the king of his region to give him a royal blessing.

 

He went door to door asking for additional support.

Finally, he hired a taxi to follow him with drinking water, a camera, and his best friends.

Then Emmanuel tied his right leg to the bike’s flame,

jammed his left foot into a flip-flop attached to the pedal,

and rode.

 

Emmanuel pedaled through the bustling city of Accra.

He pedaled through rain forests;

over rolling hills,

and across wide, muddy rivers.

He pedaled past odum forests and plantain farms

and through the market city of humans:

He pedaled as trucks roared past on the narrow highways

and wild animals stalked his thoughts.

He pedaled through vast grasslands

and into the ancient city of Tamale.

 

“The Pozo”

 

He rode up, down, across, and around his country,

proudly wearing the colors of its flag

on a shirt printed with the words The Pozo,

or “the disabled person”.

 

[…] “In this world, we are not perfect. We can only do our best”. –Emmanuel Ofosu Rebooh