Remember Di One Wey Create You

One old teacher bend forward. Im hands dey shake now, and im eyes don tire. But im voice warm. E look di young people wey gather round am and talk: I want tell una something while una still young.

We don reach di end of di book of Ecclesiastes. Di person wey write am, wey dem dey call di Teacher, don use di whole book look life well well. E don try work and enjoyment, money and wisdom, and e find say none of dem fit hold life make e no move. Everything dey pass, like breath for cold morning. Now, for im last chapter, e turn to di young people. E just tell dem make dem enjoy dem youth, and make dem remember say God go judge how dem live. And then e give dem di advice wey important pass.

Remember your Creator now, for di days of your youth. Remember am now, di Teacher talk, before di hard days come, before di years reach when you go talk say, life no dey sweet me again. Before di sun and di moon and di stars go dark, and di clouds come back after di rain. E dey talk about old age. And e draw am for poem, like picture of one big house wey dey quiet small small. Di people wey dey keep di house dey shake, and di strong men dey bend. Di women wey dey grind grain stop, because only few of dem remain. Di people wey dey look outside from di windows no dey see well again. Dem close di doors wey face di street, and di sound of di grinding mill dey low.

Di picture continue. People dey wake up as di first bird begin sing, but di songs dey soft. Dem dey fear high places and danger for street. Di almond tree dey blossom. Di grasshopper dey drag imself waka. And then di poem become more gentle, as e reach di end of one life. Before di silver cord cut, before di golden bowl break, before di jar scatter for di spring and di wheel break for di well. Dese na pictures of something wey precious as e dey come to end. And then: di dust go back to di earth as e be before, and di spirit go back to God wey give am. Di Teacher no dey try make di young people fear. E dey tell dem di truth, so dat dem no go waste di bright years wey dem get.

Then e be like say another person dey talk about di Teacher. Because e get wisdom, na so di passage talk, e continue to teach people. E weigh and study and arrange plenty proverbs, and e look for di correct words, words wey be true. Di words of di wise be like goads, di sharp sticks wey farmers dey use push cows make dem dey move, and like nails wey dem nail well. Dem come from one Shepherd. Then one warning wey get small smile inside: To dey write plenty books no get end; and too much study dey tire di body. And finally, di end of di whole book. Make we hear di conclusion of di whole matter: Fear God, and keep im commandments: because na dis one be di whole duty of man. Because God go bring every work to judgment, every hidden thing, whether e good or e bad.

Why di almond tree? For di land of Israel, almond na di first tree wey dey blossom, e dey bring flower for late cold season before im leaves show. Im flowers white, or white with small pink. Since old time, people wey dey read dis poem dey see di almond wey dey blossom as picture of white hair. Plenty people don read di whole poem like dat: di keepers wey dey shake na hands and arms, di few women wey dey grind na teeth, and di windows wey no clear na eyes wey no dey see well again.

You go find dis poem for Ecclesiastes chapter twelve. Di last words of one old teacher to di young: remember di One wey create you now, and honour am for all your life. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin be one way wey you fit remember God for di days of your youth, starting dis week?