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 7
... hear martial songs 36 Greed will kill the beast 37 other songs Mandela's mantle 41 Her bed is vacant again 42 Sisulu's song 44 Buthelezi's blues 45 For the soldier of umkhonto we sizwe 47 Homeland 49 You carved too close to bone ...
... hear martial songs 36 Greed will kill the beast 37 other songs Mandela's mantle 41 Her bed is vacant again 42 Sisulu's song 44 Buthelezi's blues 45 For the soldier of umkhonto we sizwe 47 Homeland 49 You carved too close to bone ...
Page 35
... to bales of excess death . Oh house of crumbling pillars ! tongues that should speak your oracle congregate in barracks whimpering prayers to rust - iron . 11 December , 1992 When I hear martial songs Tomorrow , when I hear 35.
... to bales of excess death . Oh house of crumbling pillars ! tongues that should speak your oracle congregate in barracks whimpering prayers to rust - iron . 11 December , 1992 When I hear martial songs Tomorrow , when I hear 35.
Page 36
Ogaga Ifowodo. When I hear martial songs Tomorrow , when I hear martial songs I will smart with green - cloth envy and be guilty of this wish : that I were a general my stars earned not in battle fields nor for strategies of wars won but ...
Ogaga Ifowodo. When I hear martial songs Tomorrow , when I hear martial songs I will smart with green - cloth envy and be guilty of this wish : that I were a general my stars earned not in battle fields nor for strategies of wars won but ...
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