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 28
... May of ripening anger , and bringing out the song - cage defiantly square in the broad highway , they declared the iron pledge to give teeth to their song . 26 June , 1990 Red rain Upon the faded bones of ancient miners from 28.
... May of ripening anger , and bringing out the song - cage defiantly square in the broad highway , they declared the iron pledge to give teeth to their song . 26 June , 1990 Red rain Upon the faded bones of ancient miners from 28.
Page 29
Ogaga Ifowodo. Red rain Upon the faded bones of ancient miners from the dark tunnels of coal I blow a song of rain now my sky hangs tremulous with the burden of a red cloud ; a song that refrains : remember , oh rainmakers your blood too ...
Ogaga Ifowodo. Red rain Upon the faded bones of ancient miners from the dark tunnels of coal I blow a song of rain now my sky hangs tremulous with the burden of a red cloud ; a song that refrains : remember , oh rainmakers your blood too ...
Page 30
... fading boast of a general : " blood will flow " if they protest again ! Today , all the bleeding till the ' morrow , let all that is stained wear its red mark for remembrance till the cleansing hour when street corners shall yield up ...
... fading boast of a general : " blood will flow " if they protest again ! Today , all the bleeding till the ' morrow , let all that is stained wear its red mark for remembrance till the cleansing hour when street corners shall yield up ...
Contents
For arts sake | 11 |
Poem to the child of my time | 32 |
Mandelas mantle | 41 |
Copyright | |
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anger anguish arms asked August battle bear beast beneath bitter bleeding blood bones break breath broken brows carved cast child close colours count crocodiles cross daily dance death December deep dust dying earth evil eyes face fading faith fear feet fire flesh flowing forest gathered graves grow guns hand harvest head hear heart heat hope horns January kill laughter lay dying leaves light living marched mark memory mouth muscle needing night pain past paths plead pledged POEMS poetry poison prize rain rising rivers roads sadness sand season seek serve shadow soldier song Soon sorrows soul space stars stone streets surer taste tears teeth terror things thirst tongue tree truth turn voice walk walls wear weeping whip wider winds wondered wounds