dispossessed: A poetry of innocence, transgression and atonement

By James Ngwu Eze

Dispossessed is a poetic representation of life in three stages through the eyes of a poet. It shows, from the thematic interests of the poet; what he considers the crucial stages in life – Innocence, Transgression and Atonement. Innocence offers a racy view of the picture gallery of the poet’s life as a child. The sensibilities of t

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daraja Press
• Release date: Nov 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781988832487

James Ngwu Eze

iames eze was born in enugu, south east nigeria, shortly after the biafran war. he was the pioneer literary editor of sunday sun. as head of external communications at fidelity bank, he worked in partnership with the novelist, chimamanda adichie to begin her popular international creative writing workshop series. he is the curator of under african skies which hosts a flutter in the woods; a yearly evening of poetry and songs in awka, anambra state. he also co-founded the return to idoto; a poetry festival in honour of christopher okigbo.his poems have appeared in camouflage: best of contemporary writing from nigeria.

Book preview

innocence

the tender cotyledon unfurls to light, spreading succulent arms wide to sun and rain

petals & buds

listen with me

to the joyous laughter of petals

and the suppressed grunts of hesitant buds

o taste with me

the wine-song of smiling flowers

i’m the bee’s seductive drone atop shy buds

the fragile wings of wooing minstrels have

awakened the pores of my prescient pollen

and i sing

tongue-loosed in time’s ear

amid this bird nest of merry bards

my song is the effervescent laughter of the sunflower

grind me on the whetstone of metaphors

let my fine dust filter through time’s fingers

and gather on the rooftop of your mind

for i am the missing lobe of poetry’s kolanut

the fearless chest that absorbs the anger of razor blades

i surrender my anvil at the crossroads

and unscrew the cork on my silence

i am

i am