A review of Tofunmi Akinyemi’s collection of poetry, ‘The Thirsty Deer’
TOFUNMI Akinyemi is a faith writer whose body of work caters for adults and children, however, ‘The Thirsty Deer’ is her debut published work in the faith poetry genre.
This appears to be a fitting niche for a Christian faith writer to explore – after all, the most influential work of poetry in the world are the scriptures.
‘The Thirsty Deer’ is an allegory of a pilgrim’s spiritual journey through the earth, depicted as a dry land brimming with challenges, and limited in the resources needed to protect and nourish the traveller on his sojourn.
The deer is a symbolic animal that has played an enduring role since the earliest documented evidence of humans’ artistic attempts – appearing in art from the stone age cave paintings, enduring through history in our mythologies, literature, and religion especially. In the light of this, the author’s choice of the desert deer – a fairly solitary and defenceless animal, as the representation for the pilgrim’s journeying through earth’s desert,is an effective symbolism.
While the poems in the collection spread across topics like hope, gratitude, depression, mental wellbeing, physical health, and relationships, the overarching message is simple. The pilgrim is a vulnerable traveller through the earth, and to survive the challenges of his sojourn, he needs the support of someone more knowledgeable – God, his Creator.
Noteworthy is Akinyemi’s minimalistic style of writing. It’s seemingly an intentional stripping away of ambiguity, an avoidance of distracting nuances –to keep the message clear, poignant, yet relatable.
In ‘The Robber’, a nostalgic reminder of a popular Yoruba proverb, Tofunmi Akinyemi draws an interesting parallel between ingratitude and robbery:
The heart feels / An unappreciated act / Of kindness, the way / The home owner feels a loss / By a robber with a gun
In ‘The Two Sides of a Coin’, she balances relationships on a fulcrum of two extremes, imploring the reader to mindfully choose the right side to swing towards:
…Relationships are useful / Relationships are harmful… So of relationships be careful / They can make you, or mar you / They can bless you, or curse you / They never leave you as they met you.
Akinyemi’s poetry style will certainly not be the poetry purist’s cup of tea, perhaps for what may be considered ‘an over-simplicity of poetry that spoon-feeds the reader’. It appears Akinyemi’s intention is to deliver an appealing message to a wider audience of readers, and the possible exclusion of the traditionalists is a collateral damage. In the game of compromise, she joins the horde of modern poets willing to prioritise a clarity in delivery, over conformity, or titillating her audience with ‘obfuscating clever literary devices’. Did she pull this off? It appears she did, but ultimately, the readers will decide.
It’s fair to say Akinyemi’s poetry debut was generally an easy and enjoyable read. The accompanying photography also helped to set a mood for the poetry, although some colour would have been welcome, unless the monochromatic theme was purely an artistic showcase. In all, the collection’s message is well-positioned to appeal to people of faith, and will likely draw the curiosity of non-faith readers too.
The Thirsty Deer (a collection of poems)–ISBN 978-97854835-8-1, is Tofunmi Akinyemi’s 31st published book, and contains 21 poems in 56 pages. It is published by Strange Ideas Ltd.
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