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. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 7
Page 16
Ogaga Ifowodo. or , put simply , the poet's every grave marks the end of the world urges a kinder hand to memory than the building ... mark the rotting of living flesh . 31 August , 1991 ; For Onoriode ( who peeped into earth , took fright ...
Ogaga Ifowodo. or , put simply , the poet's every grave marks the end of the world urges a kinder hand to memory than the building ... mark the rotting of living flesh . 31 August , 1991 ; For Onoriode ( who peeped into earth , took fright ...
Page 30
... mark : it glistens in the tears of child and mother flutters on wind - chased leaves 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 ...
... mark : it glistens in the tears of child and mother flutters on wind - chased leaves 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 ...
Page 37
... mark the beast but yearning for a human face , skinned his siblings , cloaked his horns and took salute " the beast ! the beast ! " they cried . In the wake of his outriders ' madness a child rises from the dust picks his tray and ...
... mark the beast but yearning for a human face , skinned his siblings , cloaked his horns and took salute " the beast ! the beast ! " they cried . In the wake of his outriders ' madness a child rises from the dust picks his tray and ...
Contents
For arts sake | 11 |
Poem to the child of my time | 32 |
Mandelas mantle | 41 |
Copyright | |
1 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
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