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 29
... flowing easily into sand or sea like the one you rush from hearts with the hot barrels of guns . Upon Iva Valley , the argument was mined to equality of blood , and a race - trounced tongue decreed a hierarchy of blood with colour . And ...
... flowing easily into sand or sea like the one you rush from hearts with the hot barrels of guns . Upon Iva Valley , the argument was mined to equality of blood , and a race - trounced tongue decreed a hierarchy of blood with colour . And ...
Page 30
... flows in street drains spreads on heated asphalt and swims in the streams , it marks the general's boots blowing sirens on his staff - car . Come into the street , and see how a heavy ... flowing easily into sand or sea , remember the 30.
... flows in street drains spreads on heated asphalt and swims in the streams , it marks the general's boots blowing sirens on his staff - car . Come into the street , and see how a heavy ... flowing easily into sand or sea , remember the 30.
Page 68
... flowing in gentle currents like rivers . You both sang , lighting alive a photograph lodged in my head that first night when I beheld you in simple dress , a bowl of home - made grains in your hand humming a song like you always do . My ...
... flowing in gentle currents like rivers . You both sang , lighting alive a photograph lodged in my head that first night when I beheld you in simple dress , a bowl of home - made grains in your hand humming a song like you always do . My ...
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