April
is National Poetry Month, so I managed to squeeze in a couple of poetry
collections to review.
The
first is Lost in a Quatrain by South African author and poet Adiela Akoo. It is a
collection I'm glad to have come across. There are many poems I could relate
to and many I'd love to quote "whole".
The
65-page collection begins with the short but inspiring poem "Within"
which I felt spoke to me as a writer and poet. "Empty
Chairs," whose beginning is the same as its ending, leaves the reader
aching. It's a painful poem of memory and loss; it also strikes a chord with me
because in the past 45 days there have been four deaths in the family. It also
reminds me of my poem "The
Picture".
Back
to Lost in a Quatrain, there were a few political and spiritual pieces,
including "Know Thyself".
"Cape Town 1990," which tackles
the issue of white versus black skin, is painful to say the least. Similarly, "New
Apartheid" is a must read. And while I don't think my country
had much of the skin problem, I related to this poem.
"Only to find a new apartheid walking in
That now wants to condemn us
For the way we are praying!"
"@2pm" is an interesting piece on the time 2 pm, where a
lot of things are being done by different people. It gives a sense of
togetherness and aloneness at the same time. Though a short piece, it's an idea
that is definitely worth thinking about.
"What's Up?" is a
hilarious story and conversation within a poem. I loved it!
Lost in a Quatrain includes several deep pieces such as "Not
Enough," "Broken Winged Bird," "Are YOU Ready?"
"As the Rain Pitter-Pattered," "Wrapped Up,"
just to name few. There are many and I enjoyed them all.
"Hormonal" is a powerful womanly poem about – you probably
guessed it – women's monthly period. I appreciated that Akoo wrote about this
and included it in her collection.
"Coupling" is poem about writing and I totally relate to it!
I felt that Akoo was reiterating my thoughts about words and poetry that come
to me in the middle of the night. This is a five-star piece.
One
of the poems that I had me thinking a lot was "You Are
a Woman, You Must Learn to Live with Being Sore" which Akoo
says was a grandmother's advice. The poem tackles a contrast about women having
to be strong but in pain in a way. They need to take care of their homes and
husbands but at the same time they need to be strong. It's a poem worthy of
study and being included in syllabi. I get the idea; I would assume my
grandmother thinks the same way. I know I have a few points I'd argue about as
would many young and older women nowadays. Still, it's worth reading and thinking
about.
The
language in Lost in a Quatrain is simple but the imagery and flow were
amazing. Some were like songs and others were experimental like the
one-sentence poem which I felt should be extended into a full short story. Meanwhile,
the poem with the same title as the book, "Lost in
a Quatrain," comes late in the collection but I adored its
flow. Each quatrain tells of a situation or short story. I felt that if were
longer, it would make a beautiful song.
Overall rating for Lost in a Quatrain by Adiela Akoo:
4.5 stars. A must-read and a collection to be remembered. Thank you for
bringing to my world, Adiela.
Update
Update
Note: I received a free copy of Lost in a Quatrain from its
author Adiela Akoo in exchange for an honest review.
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