Hitherto I had never tried my hand on any poem whatsoever, but I was willing to give it a go. I pondered over this lofty project of mine for days. Within this period I found the title MANDELA – THE IMMORTAL ICON for the poem. But without a clear perspective on the job, I was unable to make a headway. After a month of what seemed like a strenuous effort in futility, feeling defeated I jettisoned the idea about drafting the poem.
Several
weeks after Madiba had passed on in 2014, I felt compelled by an absolute
necessity to write a tribute to the colossal statesman. Mandela’s story is one
I had more than a smattering idea about, and it was my utmost wish to create a
profound poem with beautiful tone and intellectual context. I put off
everything to give the project my best shot. With the freshness and eagerness
of great enthusiasm, I set seal to yet to be
discovered Creative-Glory-Of-Solitude.
What seemed like a brilliant perspective and an interesting storyline were there alright, the problem became how do I remove the subtle hues on the corners my artistic representation. It was a task made arduous by the fact that I had already opted for a concise verse of 14 lines – which must be embellished with Shakespearean sonnet rhythmic splendor. The aim had been to give the piece a classical look. Working on the poem was a passionate labour that saw me go through a state of intensity and release. I’m very thankful to God for the inspiration.
Do you have a role model? You asked. The answer is yes, I do. My inspirational figure is my dad, Romanus Amandi Dike. I know that l’m a much better person today because he has positively shaped my personality and character. Over the years he had been able to inculcate in us (his children) the virtues of humility, honesty, patience, and a healthy level of detachment from mundane things.
Here is a God fearing man who forgives so easily without grudges. From him I learnt that forgiveness is an attribute of the strong and not the weak. My father preferred oral correction of his children’s mistakes to flogging or any other form of punitive measures, as was the case in those days.
He always encouraged me to open up to him on any issue that might be troubling me, no matter how personal or inappropriate. I was exposed to good and bad influences, but because of my love for him, it became very important to me that I walked on the windward side of the law. The last thing I wanted was to hurt his feelings. Ever since I can remember my dad has always been there for us. In fact, there are no words that can describe my deep gratitude towards this man of many noble qualities.
Peter Obi is another person I hold in high esteem. Obi is a Nigerian politician of well-known and approved public opinion. Undoubtedly above and beyond the errors of his colleagues and contemporaries, the well groomed administrator with a quiet fortitude enjoys enormous goodwill nationally. A political fortune that is hinged on his sagacity and unimpeachable integrity.
The Harvard trained former Governor of Anambra State, Nigeria, whose stewardship in the face of substantial economic, fiscal and structural challenges in his State, was nothing short of excellent; not only does his success serve as an eloquent reminder of the values of hardwork, transparency, and accountability; it also reinforces the belief that with great skill, an ingenious composer could make music from even the most discordant tunes.
Herald : What is your advice to those who have phobia to reading and writing poems?
Chinedu : Reading and writing anxieties in general are feelings of uneasiness, tensions, and anxieties when faced with writing or reading tasks.
My advice to those oppressed by such a phobia is to remember, that fear is a bunch of sinister shadows without substance. Individuals with reading and writing phobia instead of running away, they have to somehow summon up courage to face the situation. Failing to confront the source of their anxieties, prevents them from ever learning that irrational fear is only a magnified reflection of something small.
I think the most important lesson in developing one’s writing skills is to write. You cannot expect to develop self-efficacy for writing without putting pen to paper, just like you cannot expect to become a good footballer without kicking the round leather ball.
Writing is not about producing a masterpiece. It’s not about perfectionism. It is allowing oneself to get into the flow and joy of creativity. With enthusiasm for the art, writing skills can be developed. Given practice, guidance, and passion for it, one would in time become a good writer. Pen from your heart and let it flow.
Herald: Could you relate to us about the themes your poems convey? Do you use poems to convey social messages on top of entertainment?
Chinedu: The titles on most of my poems are actually the themes of my poetic renditions. You can readily deduce the theme of most of my artistic representations by its title. For example, I have depicted the heartbreaking tale of vagrant kids as follows:
CHILDREN OF CRUEL FATE
In their faces, a colourless gaping of life’s adversity:
the hopeless grief of their existence;
Malnourished, starving, filth, and olfactory horrors;
Their humiliating nothingness clothed in rags;
Usually barefooted with low self-esteem;
Begging, and searching through refuse
for thrown-away foods to assuage pangs of hunger;
Sleeping or sniffing glue
at the dark corners of the street.
These dispositions identify them to society as
Children Of The Street: The Roofless And Rootless Kids.
The undesirables eke out a living on the streets,
falling prey to all sorts of abusive treatments,
in hostile surroundings where childhood
apparently comes to an end.
They’re menaced by extreme weather conditions:
be it scorching summer heat, severe storms,
or sub-zero winter temperatures.
They belong to nowhere:
home is no longer ‘home sweet home’,
the street provides no comfort, and
the society rejects them with pitiless indifference.
Children Of The Street is a global reality –
a product of the collapse of customary family values;
Death of one parent or both;
Socio-economic, cultural, and other diverse changes
that affect the vulnerable minors negatively.
Left to fend for themselves, they’re deprived
of physical, mental, emotional,
and spiritual development.
Without skills and education,
they’re entangled in a web of poverty
that only few are lucky to breakaway.
They survive on the fringes of social system.
Surrounded by a never-ending vision of misfortune,
vagrant kids are denied
the very essentials of childhood –
for them life is a daily battle to exist.
Unloved, uncared for, and unwanted;
Stomachs plagued with worms,
hairs infested with lice,
always cold and sick;
They’re forsaken in their fierce wretchedness.
With no human hands to wipe away tears of bitter pain,
they gnash their teeth in absolute extremities.
Many live and die on the street.
The atrocities committed in the name of God through religion, I have tried to capture in the poem below.
THE EVIL FACE OF RELIGION
Since the dawn of humanity, the annals
of Religion are littered with awful tales.
Sacred scriptures have blessed lives –
and maimed them.
Sophistic doctrine breeds dreadful hostility.
Often, where Religion is strong – cruelty
reigns; as fanatics under ‘total submission’
commit atrocities through blind devotion.
A close look at religious democides
suggests jamborees of genocides –
bloodlettings from which Atheism
recoils in its state of ungodliness.
On the faith mission to fulfill a divine goal,
Religion is torn between good and evil.
Slaying from age to age in the name of God,
hands of zealots are left defiled with blood.
BIAFRAN GENOCIDE – A CARNIVAL OF CARNAGE is about the horrendous Nigerian civil war.
PASTORPRENUER is about the abuse of gospel grace by fake ‘men of God’, who peddle the Holy Word for profit at the expense of gullible worshippers – whose genuine concerns they exploit to feather their nests.
ALBINOS ON THE RAZOR-EDGE OF DANGER is a story of the gruesome butchering of East African albinos. It is believed in some parts of East Africa that albinos’ body parts possess magical powers – very potent when used as ingredients for ritual sacrifices. A primitive Superstition validated by witch doctors which drives the macabre enterprise.
COLOSSAL MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE is about the blatant perversion of Justice in the criminal trial, and the subsequent execution of Jesus Christ.
ANC AND THE STRUGGLE is a depiction of ANC’s tribulations during its long walk to freedom.
MZANSI AND THE BALLOT BOX is an insightful appraisal of South Africa’s first Democratic elections of 1994.
Let’s have a look at the story I had to tell about the sinister shadow of lust.
THE OBESSESSIVE AGONY OF LUST
Self lost in obsessive agony,
Your primal curiosity – a burning ferocity,
The raging fire consumes your dignity,
And shame put to slumber.
Seduced by the wayward twin of Love,
Powers of deviation subdued,
On pathway of despair you tread:
A burden too heavy to bear.
Mind drowning in bitter-sweetened sensation,
Onto elusive dream you hold fast –
Which vanishes like mirage in a vast
Desert: A lethal blend of hope and anxiety.
Raving lunatic you’ve become,
Seeking savage-desire’s fulfillment:
An ugly reflection of nature devoid of contentment.
Lust – a nightmare in Infatuation’s phoney bed.
My poems come with storylines. The idea behind the tales is to explore themes common to human beings everywhere, and transmit a sense of humanity to the reader. An interesting story told in eloquent finesse, that’s how I bring in entertainment into my poetic creations. A poem heartfelt is a time worth spent.
Herald:Your poem about Mandela sticks out. Would you please say something about that?
Chinedu : Below is my poem you’ve just mentioned.
MANDELA – THE IMMORTAL ICON
The Peace Warrior Of Mzansi, among heroes – a colossus!
Sun Of The Nation; A rare gift of Providence.
Once, entangled in the web of racist succubus;
Unruffled he declares before High Justice:
‘[I]t is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.’ Silence
Pregnant with dreadful menace in court ensued.
A beast of burden consequent of unshakeable stance.
In the slammer, Symbol Of The Struggle he attained;
But Apartheid demon persisted in its Treachery.
‘Coalition Of Conscience’ inspired outcry for Liberty;
Plagues of sanctions shatter manacles of Slavery.
Looming on the horizon – a sight of Equality.
From abyss of darkness emerged the Institution;
The Immortal Icon; And Mastermind of Rainbow Nation.
This compact synopsis of Dr Nelson Madiba Mandela, is a story about his journey from The Rivonia Trial (where he was charged with TREASON – an offence carrying death penalty by HANGING) to Freedom and Democracy.
It is a poetic portrait of the cosmopolitan juggernaut, whose enigmatic radiance of love was tested beyond the experience flesh has to endure. A tale of a great icon of peaceful resistance, who went from prison (for 27 years) to become the first democratically elected President of Mzansi (South Africa). May his wonderful and gentle soul continue to rest in the Bosom Of Almighty God.
I feel blessed to have been graced with an inspired perspective for the work. The rendition of words took some time to accomplish. It still surprises me the way I had been able to emote and convey the depths of Dr Mandela’s indomitable spirit with such sublime profundity. And it’s been a marvel to me how I was able to pen the piece the way I did.
Frankly speaking, I had to read OZYMANDIAS several times daily during the course of drafting the poem. I so much wanted to create a poem of that stature – a historically relevant poem; a magnificent memorial. The success of that first attempt at inditing poetry has since inspired the penning of my second poem, MZANSI AND THE BALLOT BOX, and the subsequent ones.
MANDELA – THE IMMORTAL ICON is visible on the blog because it is well received globally. Please, let me use this platform to express my gratitude once again, to all Poemhunter members who have voted and committed on the poem and my other poems. I thank all of you so much for all your warm words of encouragement. They are deeply appreciated and I will try to be worthy of them.
Herald: Which other poem do you like most? How do you assess the feedback you get?
Chinedu: There are many good poems out there, albeit not as many masterpieces. My favourite poem is OZYMANDIAS by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The piece is breathtakingly beautiful: A poetic creation of the highest caliber.
Following closely is SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER’S DAY? By William Shakespeare. Also known as sonnet 18, it is the most popular of his 150 sonnets.
INVITUS, THE GOLDEN FLUTE, and O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! Written by William Ernest Henley, Sri Chinmoy, and Walt Whitman respectively, are also masterful works of art.
I doff my hat for THE PHENOMENAL WOMAN, STILL I RISE, and A CAGED BIRD; all by Maya Angelou.
The enigmatic quality of STOPPING BY THE WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING by Robert Frost is something to admire. I’ve always felt there is an undercurrent of significance of that poem that’s not immediately apparent.
And THOSE WINTER SUNDAYS by Robert Hayden is a poem that evokes so much emotions in me anytime I read it. The story is a highly relatable one that I resonate with in toto.
Crafted in quatrains of 45 stanzas, THE ABYSS OF DRUG ADDICTION is the piece that I’m must apt to be found reading. The work gave me tonnes of hardtime during its creation. It is another poem I’m very pleased to have authored.
Among contemporary poets, l enjoy reading poems by Howard Simon, Valsa George, Susan Williams, Yoonos Pookubus, Ernestine Northover, and Rose Marie, Juan Austin among other great wordsmiths of our time. In fact there are so many great poems on the blog: www.poemhunter.com
As par how I assess feedbacks I receive for my poems, I will only say that I take the praises and the murmurs of disapproval in my stride.
Herald: Now you are a six star poet on poem hunter with marks having eye watering zeros how did you manage to achieve this success?
Chinedu : Being a six star poet has not much to do with the quality of one’s works. It shows that a poet/poetess is active on the blog. Whenever I could spare the time, I try to promote my poems by appraising the works of my colleagues. As it is said, one good turn deserves another, in order to display a reciprocal degree of consideration, some of them would read and comment on my poems as well.
Promoting one’s poems by participating actively on the blog, can go a long way in bringing beautiful poems to limelight. It can also be very discouraging when one’s poems begin to get low ratings and discouraging remarks. Other writers on the blog need to like your poems, in order for you to receive favourable appraisals and good ratings for them.
Poetic creation is a sitting still skill that requires hardwork and patience. I give my works time to develop. The tasks may seem frustrating at times, but with passion fired by creative energy for the art, sheer ecstasy is more often than not the outcome. Member poets on the blog like my poems, that’s why they take their time to rate and comment on them, hence the ‘marks with eye watering zeros’.
Herald: Do you participate in other blogs?
Chinedu: Initially when I started writing poems in 2013, I did. But not anymore, not after a friend introduced me to the blog www.poemhunter.com based in Paris, France. I like the website very much because it’s the only one of its kind. It has created a platform for member poets around the world to appraise and rate poems on the website.
There are about six different categories of these ratings:
Top 500 poems of all time
Top 500 member poems
Top 500 poets of all time
Top 500 member poets Daily ratings of member poets’ popularity
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition 29 December 2019
