Homeland & Other PoemsIfowodo was a frontline student leader in the early eighties and is a lawyer and civil rights activist. In 1996 he was a writer-in-residence at the Heinrich Boell Foundation. He was imprisoned between 1997 and 1998 and was subsequently adopted by PEN. This is his first collection of poetry which won the 1993 Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize. Many of the poems are responses to politics; or spring from the tensions between writing political poetry, or art for art's sake, and other competing subjects of poetry, such as romantic love. The poet, quoting Neruda, first asks the reader expecting a poetic celebration of his natural world to 'come see the blood in the streets'. In the section section he writes tributes to Tracey Chapman, Winnie and Nelson Mandela and Margeret Thatcher ('the butcher'). The subject of the third section is the rediscovery of romantic love, amidst and beyond turmoil and oppression. |
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Page 13
... out streams or uproot your home to resettle by rivers ? When the sky claps to call down rain rush out all vessels and pray for everlasting rain . 7 December , 1987 Sanitation day dream In her dream a bulldozer came for 13 No water.
... out streams or uproot your home to resettle by rivers ? When the sky claps to call down rain rush out all vessels and pray for everlasting rain . 7 December , 1987 Sanitation day dream In her dream a bulldozer came for 13 No water.
Page 38
... his sirens , blinded by a habit of defiance . He will not let go his flesh and flee the wrath of poisoned arrows shooting from every eye , greed will kill the beast . December , 1990 II other songs His life was gentle and the elements 38.
... his sirens , blinded by a habit of defiance . He will not let go his flesh and flee the wrath of poisoned arrows shooting from every eye , greed will kill the beast . December , 1990 II other songs His life was gentle and the elements 38.
Page 60
... December , 1991 ( ii ) The earth you walked to me The earth you walked to me spans swamps and savannahs your fertile plot of pineapples its sweetness guarded by thornbush . The truths of a rising heart defy mathematical formulas its ...
... December , 1991 ( ii ) The earth you walked to me The earth you walked to me spans swamps and savannahs your fertile plot of pineapples its sweetness guarded by thornbush . The truths of a rising heart defy mathematical formulas its ...
Contents
For arts sake | 11 |
Poem to the child of my time | 32 |
Mandelas mantle | 41 |
Copyright | |
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