I know how poetry came to settle in my bones. It came from the many books I read, mostly poetry books as a young girl and my English teacher who was Caucasian and tall and pretty and poetic in many ways. Mrs. Whittle was that teacher who introduced me to this new world which has kept me entranced all these years. Rhythmic and self-assured, she introduced me to the beauty and the hidden delicious meaning of an art the uninitiated find befuddling. I love poetry, the use of language in its most austere form, the twists and turns of meaning, the crashing of waves and the delight of clouds, the heady poems of love and the challenging language of War. Everyday life takes a new meaning and meanings tend to take different perspectives. Poets continue to dominate landscapes of many nations in peace and war and they also serve as the conscience of nations. I write poetry and have a collection published, the critically acclaimed, Don’t look at me like that but I have always buried myself in poetry books enjoying the play of words, the message, the language and its deliciousness. For all those like me who enjoy poetry, here is a collection for to savor and enjoy.
1) Rime of the ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge remains one of those poems that have stayed with me from when I read it as a twelve-year-old. This is the longest major poem by an English poet written in 1797. It tells of a sailor returning...
2) Eaters of the living by Musa Idris Okpanachi is the award winning collection which catapulted Okpanachi to our consciousness. Described by most as the angry poet, Okpanachi’s craft has indeed propelled him to welldeserved recognition. His...
3) Lola Shoneyin has earned her place in literary development in Nigeria by organizing many literature festivals, but it has poetry that has me singing particularly her third collection of poems, For the love of flight. This collection has deeply...
4) Paradise Lost by John Milton. This was required reading for my A-level literature but I was taken in by one of the most ambitious epic poems in blank verse by a blind and impoverished English poet who wrote this poem in1667. The entire poem is...
5) All poems by the late President of Association of Nigeria Authors, my big brother, Abubakar Gimba. As a prolific author, he wrote many books, Essays and fiction but his poetry are profound and are now in my library as limited editions. Find one, own...