REVIEWS ON MY ANTHOLOGY

 REVIEWS

1. 

Permit me to first offer my condolences to the author and his family for their painful loss, but it is a most beautiful dedication.

Reading through the poems evoke a sense of spirit, and the writing is graceful and clear. It highlights a careful selection of a body of work, each didactic and with its own message, going on to save the best poems for last. Quite a number of pieces were exceptional, not to mention the beautiful dedication to baby Dhan. 

I'll say that "How Much You Agree" alongside "Don't Ask" are among my favourites, with its economy of words and graceful turns. The author's rendition of Ozymandias also does find a place in my heart. That story is one that is beautifully said, and also full of lessons. An artiste in Nigeria (Brymo) also gave a rendition I find most pleasant.

The anthology swells to encompass humanity's love and care of nature, or lack thereof, highlighting the actions of the faux-lovers of nature. We relish the voice of the unborn child, saying: "don't suppress your inner voice to later repent!" We cannot but agree more with the assertion that  blindness is a blessing where eyesight fails to properly perceive.

The anthology also captures the spirit of the Indian: peaceful, defiant and true. It resounds the meaning of true independence and also exposes the actions of cruel beasts, and the fate deserving of rapists, that "our tears must sear their spurious heavens!" The powerful stories of the two murdered women cannot be silenced, I hear their voice demanding justice, better protection for those alive, and harsher sentences for all those found guilty. May their souls rest in peace. Amen.

We hear not to ask for love, but to have patience and watch, for love doesn't lie in expression, but in realization. We are cautioned today against the vice of vanity, for self-esteem, self confidence and self-restraint are the keys to a better life.

We explore the depths of a parent's love and the severe consequences of their tears if shed in sadness. We're led on a crusade to dethrone the monarchs of cruelty and enthrone the nobles of virtue and peace. 

We are taken back to the Year 2020, indeed it was a different personal journey and experience for everyone despite our shared lockdown. Everyone learned a thing or two. We are then brought into the new year to "restrain our mistakes by the bridge of self confidence." Indeed, that's the only way to grow. To acknowledge our errors and work hard to improve them. Going back to move forward.

We hear the sirens of spouses and grateful lovers. We hear the poets called to arms. We hear the melodious ode to loving mothers, and a prayerful dirge that all men grow up with fathers.

In all, one must also commend the author's attention to detail, giving credit where due, and also for a beautiful glossary that gives a lesson of its own. I especially enjoyed the story of the four Samurai. 

A diverse body of work, capturing the essence of a strong, proud and storied race, and what makes us all humans at the very core.

The souls of the authors do sing. It sings of beauty and love, of joy and peace; it sings of warnings and pitfalls to be avoided; it sings of blessings and the music of a life worth living.

Tokede Opeyemi Iyanuoluwa is a third-year Physical and Health Education student of the Lagos State University, Nigeria. He's a Christian, an avid reader and a writer. A lover of music, poetry, football and things artistic. He loves to sing and dance as well. He runs his blog @ tokedeeliyanu.blogspot.com, and plays soccer at college and grassroot levels.

Nigeria

Review 2

Dear Sir, Hearty regards! At the outset I must congratulate you for your passion for writing and bringing out such a marvellous collection of poems spanning diverse areas. Your writings could easily win the hearts of many literary, scientific and political luminaries as well as organisaions of repute. Loss of father and penury at the early stages of life could not distract you from your indomitable spirits. Putting it candidly, a majority of us must have passed through such critical phases in life but very few can withstand and turn the tide in their favour. Your writings have moved around the lives of many great personalities, but where is the one, undoubtedly the greatest among them all – the gem of Utkala – the man who once hailed from one of your neighbouring villages? That most glorious tag must go to Suando. I presume, his selfless and towering personality would eclipse all others. Bharat Ratna must be too small an award compared to his magnanimity, eminence and excellence. Had he not been from Odisha he would have been a Nobel laureate. Now, coming to the point. It gives me much pleasure while going through your creative work. As a general rule, none of or works can be hundred percent perfect and therefore they all are prone to limitation at some points of time. Considering my capacity and to the extent possible I have marked at some places as I went through it. They chiefly involve issues like : (1) uniformity and consistence, (2) Capitalisation of the first letters of some words (As a rule, first letters of proper nouns and some particular expressions should be capitalised, while this is not the same in the case of expressions which are general in nature.), (3) some inadvertent skipping of letters and some other issues. Not that they are wrong, they are just marked to attract your attention for any possible improvement. Nice to be of some service to a great writer like you. Health permitting, eagerly looking forward to having some similar and more opportunity in future…. I am, Yours in camaraderie, Dinu.