BOOKS: Poems — mind refreshing

01 Nov, 2015 - 00:11 0 Views
BOOKS: Poems — mind refreshing

The Sunday Mail

Beyond The Cover

DANISH philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic and religious author Soren Kierkegaard once said, “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”

Exploring, defining and explaining life with its complexities and sophistication can prove to be a difficult task. With varying beliefs and traditions practised across the globe, people have different opinions and theories about life, which could be the reason why Kierkegaard concluded that rather than trying to solve this puzzle, it should just be experienced.

A collaborative effort between Catherine Magodo-Mutukwa and Awande Ngwenya has yielded an electrifying poetry anthology that tries to explore the various aspects of life.

Titled “Life”, the poems in this book take a look at the period between birth and death, mannerisms of living as well as qualities that distinguish plants and animals from none living things.

I have not been reading much poetry of late but this particular piece might just have rejuvenated my interest in the art.

The authorship displayed astounding skill, with poems that flow and meander smoothly around the various topics being discussed.

Words are brilliantly knit together, effectively creating images and sounds that bring the poems alive.

The first poem, “Back on Track”, by Magodo-Mutukwa is like a sneak preview into the quality of artistry to be expected within the book.

In this poem, the writer displays her passion and obsession for the art of writing, which is why she has once again picked up her pen after a long time.

“The writer in me refuses to be extinguished, fuelling a fire to an already ashen jiff, igniting a passion or obsession of a love forgotten,” goes part of the poem which intricately displays the writer’s love for exploring issues concerning life through poetry.

She might as well be practicing her art in the scientific of rather spiritual realm, considering how her poems come to being, “…thoughts and words kept formulating syllables and phrases and quotes, kneading them together into comprehensible utterances, drumming rhythm, motioning animation, rejuvenating expression and vibrancy to metaphors, similes and everything else worth scribbling about at night.”

The splendid showcase in this particular poem managed to capture my attention and fuelled my curiosity to dig deeper into the book.

Another interesting poem by the same author is simply titled “Love” and despite the fact that this particular subject has been written about over and over again, it never gets old.

The poem is small but refreshing, with the writer throwing in a bit of rhyme to spice it up.

Although Ngwenya’s poems are a bit flat sometimes, they still possess powerful messages.

In “Kufira Kureva”, the poet talks about individuals who are big givers in church while their parents are wallowing in abject poverty.
This is an interesting topic as the writer was dicing with reality, illuminating some of the elements that characterise today’s Christians.
The poems in this book have different and interesting topics and although the gears shift down sometimes, it is still a great read.

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