Understanding life through Yewande Adebowale’s poems

A review of Yewande Adebowale’s book, A Tale of Being, of Green and Ing by Femi Ojo.

LIKE a spark that goes to a flame, Yewande Adebowale‘s latest analogy, a thematic collection of 63 poems, consisting of tercetsections, titled “A Tale of Being, of Green and of Ing” takes one on a memory’s lane, explains the present and explores far both into the future and eternity. The poet writes with charming pieces of prose that query and at the same time, proffer perfect answers to diverse notions such as life, being, birth, deaths, war, ecclesiastical beliefs, nature, revolution and likewise, digs lyrically into the trio subjects of body, soul and spirit particularly in the first section of Yewande ‘s analogy.

Moreover, the fondness works of prose that the poet infused in poems such as “Dance with Me, To Hold and To Own and Memoir of a Beating Heart” reflect a fictional character, in thirst of a genuine companionship in both moments of low and high. Yewande here again, waxed a flowing rhythmic beat and dived literarily deep into sometimes tricky seasons lovers face in their relationships. The poet also brought a refreshing rigour on virtue of patience as a key ingredient in the game of love. Yewande delivered a beautiful lyrical craft by blending rhymes that prepare lovers for an unending love odyssey. However, the poet seems regretful about love in “Nine Yards” poetically orated an awful account of a soul betrayed by love after giving her all. This particular poem is a pointer that love can also leave an aching hole in one’s heart.

Poetically philosophising in “Of Time, Of Age and Other Fleeting Things”, Yewande from her youthful age, gazed metaphorically into the future when all beauty would have faded away and her hair turned grey…old age. She wrote “ one a daymany decades from today, I figure that I shall be in the company of the young, telling the tales of a distant time and place- a tale as distant as today, of a time this skin stood firm in the prime of youth defying sag, spot, stress and wrinkle.” This poem has a personal message for me, as I age, approaching my mid-forties, the poet reminds me of the stack reality of ageing and how time flies. The poem here perfectly aligns with the mantra ‘no time for no time’ Ageing is inevitable and time flies so fast!

The collection of poems written by the author in “Of Green” has 21 poems that essentially hubs on rationality, national hope regeneration, revolution, protest, political consciousness, rebellion, war, freedom, account of wanton destructions, kidnapping, terrorism, bloodshed, exodus emigration of youths in Africa, political treachery just to mention of a few. Reading these collections of poems brought tears flowing and reminiscence of the current realities in Nigeria and Africa generally. Of the 21 poems in this category, “Bleeding Green and Green R(evolution), validates the philosophical views of the poet when one remembers the recent #endsarsprotest and the current #endbadgovernance in Nigeria. Of course, such realities have come to approximation in Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Angola, Malawi, Senegal, Niger Republic, just to mention but a few, with young people taking to the streets against their oppressors. One truth about this poem is that, it precisely captures the unique drivers responsible for the call for revolution – the booming young demographic struggling with aspirational frustrations, joblessness, chronic poverty and oppressive political class/actors that do not care about the governed. Stylishly constructed with flowing rhymes, the poem ‘Numb – Nimby’ brings back the sad story of Chibok Girls, a narrative that succinctly unpacked the accompanying hopelessness, aspirational frustrations, tears, terror and man’s inhumanity to man that have characterised most African nations in particularly and also in other parts of the world.

The last section arranged in thematic order, literarily captures issues of procreation, spirituality, sovereignty, tributes to mother nature, warns of impending global warming and like the biblical King Solomon, the poet ended her analogy with entreating admonition for humanity to be remembered for a happy ending. A tale of Being, of Green and Ing by Yewande is one analogy that superbly infuses right language, theme, sound and rhythm (free verses), scheme, context, figurative expressions and proses that would make a rewarding read for everyone.

All in all, Yewande’s poems give readers interesting glimpse with its flowing prose, artfully weaved around dissimilar themes and excellently delivered. However, as I flipped through each piece, I expected the poet would pen some pieces that would lend literary advocacy on the concept of feminism and some rhymes that would dispel barriers of inequality, particularly as today’s women continue to break the glass ceilings in various endeavours. Though, Yewande did something close on page 28, ‘Sisterhood’ but like Oliver Twist, I wanted more. Nonetheless, Yewande delivered an excellent job with her literary style that distilled her words-relationship for relatable reading experience, logical connections between word pairs and lyrical delivery.

Kudos!

• Ojo, a Media Communications strategist,

lives in Scotland, United Kingdom.

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