In his debut collection of poems, Oloyede Michael Taiwo gathers the expanse of the human experience of love, life, and death in this 91-page poetry book titled “Lagos is Killing Me,” released by The Roaring Lion, Newcastle in 2020.
Whether exploring the futility of a lover’s crushed ego in “Convalescence,” examining a nation weighed down by corruption, poverty, dirty politics, and violence in “Moribund Restaurant,” or delving into the intoxicating power of love in “Love’s Soothing Web,” the images in the collection are both stunning and uplifting.
“Tell the White Man,” one of the poems, reveals the West’s complete exploitation of Black nations in the name of development and benevolence. Taiwo warns the ordinary man in “If I Had Wings Like a Dove” to vote carefully. “If I had wings like a dove,/ I would sit on the roof of your conscience and/ urge you not to sell your vote./ Otherwise, the next generation’s murmuring lips would/ submit that servitude was a wonderful adornment on/ the crooked neck of your soul,” he writes. The song “Uneasy Calm” is a melancholy reflection on existence.
Such a touching collection of love, life’s challenges, and significant societal topics! Oloyede Michael Taiwo expresses himself through exceptional lyrics, ”dressing” both sorrowful and inspiring emotions in beautiful and thoroughly detailed language.
The range of poems has something for every poetry enthusiast, with subjects that both upset and calm the reader. Reading through this book is an emotional roller coaster, with poems about heartbreak and love as well as outcries against oppression of all kinds.
The reader will find the poems openly discussing Nigeria’s problems and embracing African culture to be the most influential and meaningful. Those who discuss white privilege and Western exploitation, as well as those who report on human rights violations and the threat posed by SARS, are not only immensely powerful, but also educational. There are also a number of feminist nuggets throughout the book that the reader will appreciate and treasure.
“I Can’t Breathe,” dedicated to George Floyd, brings the horrific tragedy to life, while “Dust Arise” ponders what it means to truly love.
Taiwo messes around with syntax and form. He addresses a wide range of issues, including love, sorrow, hope, grief, tyranny, liberation, and Black pride, among others, while also capturing the essence of Nigerian people and culture: “the back of Africa can never be put out to the ground/ Like dust, we rise and furnish our hope with grit.”
This is an excellent anthology that is both broad and poignant.
