A refreshing swim in ‘Sacred Ocean’

Title:             ‘Sacred Ocean’ Author:         Idris Mohammed Book reviewer:    Isa Sa’idu The collection of poems, ‘Sacred Ocean,’ by Idris Mohammed, a fascinating author, contains work which breaks away from the conventional. The classification of the poems: Nature, Love, Reminiscence, Politics and Matters of the World, combine in making the book colourful […]

Title:             ‘Sacred Ocean’
Author:         Idris Mohammed
Book reviewer:    Isa Sa’idu

The collection of poems, ‘Sacred Ocean,’ by Idris Mohammed, a fascinating author, contains work which breaks away from the conventional.
The classification of the poems: Nature, Love, Reminiscence, Politics and Matters of the World, combine in making the book colourful and a rather rare combination of themes. This effort alone demonstrates capability and in-depth thought, which is a basic prerequisite to the conception of ideas and translating same into thousands of words.
Mohammed’s ‘Sacred Ocean’ tilts towards unravelling the seeming mystery and ascribed difficulty attached to the writing of poems. It is a welcome development, having the book included in a range of literature provided as material for learning. This is beside the many other points to note, among which is the use of language. Unlike most available poems as contained in books, the simplicity with which these are written is appealing. This will go far in reassessing what true nature a poem should take. The language, being simple, makes the poems easy to read and interesting to follow. Students and teachers of creative writing will find much joy in swimming deep in this ocean of captivating poems; and like many other things, understand and interpret them as they feel.
A considerable number of the poems are likely to send many minds thinking.
In ‘Garden of Bliss’:
And the femmes virgin-pure undefiled
Full of the love for all the mates
And then the garments of the silk
With no excess heat or the cold
And then the gardens with the couches

In ‘Colourless’:
Some things are scarce
in an abundant way
flushing from nowhere
dashing away to nowhere
they are most around
and not around

In ‘Simple Beauty’:
Like the deaf in a crowd
or the mute on a show
and the cripple on race
or a blind on a path
I refuse to resist

And in ‘Fine Voice’:
Like the cushion feel of a baby’s cheek
like the sweep drift of the ocean tide
like the shhh-shhh sound of the dawn drizzle that lull lovers back to sleep
That’s how I felt the fine voice

Others include: ‘Figment of Imagination’:
For when the dust
clearly stands
the wind that blows
visibly disappear
that’s a courageous fear
It seems closely afar
when a treasurable waste
comes from across an empty sea
ignoring a dry ocean
so coldly hot

‘Best Bride’, ‘The Fools Eye,’ ‘Morning Joke,’ ‘Dint of Hard Work’ and ‘First Date,’ are other poems that are not only catchy in title, but also capable of holding the readers spellbound; not only by choice of words but by their rhymes if one imagines. More to this are certain stanzas contained in some of the poems which are captivating that a reader would tend to be taken away, especially as they use language that is close to that of everyday speech. This is with the intent of making the book easily accessible to readers. Mohammed’s use of language in ‘Sacred Ocean’ is quite scintillating, his choice of words appropriate for every context applied.
It is a known fact that society, from time immemorial, values literature not only because it provides entertainment, but also because it is a useful instrument of education embedded with moral lessons to be learnt through the eyes of the characters, and also encouraging potential creative writers to tilt towards the genre.