Book Review: Mosobalaje Is An Inspiration; A comprehensive And Critical Review Of The ‘Running Anthology’

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poetry is always problematic and mysterious. Poets, readers, critics, and scholars define poetry based on their own definitions. However, the common conception that is used to refer to the poetry is that, form of literature, spoken or written, that emphasizes rhythm, other intricate patterns of sound and imagery, and the many possible ways that words can suggest meaning.

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The word itself derives from a Greek word, poesis, meaning “making” or “creating.” Whereas ordinary speech and writing, called prose, are organized in sentences and paragraphs, poetry in its simplest definition is organized in units called lines as well as in sentences, and often in stanzas, which are the paragraphs of poetry.

The way a line of poetry is structured can be considered a kind of garment that shapes and clothes the thought within it. The oldest and most longstanding genres for classifying poetry are epic, a long narrative poem centered around a national hero, and lyric, a short poem expressing intense emotion.

Based on this collection, and other things related to the seeing of art and its best of kinds; mosobalaje takes his effort to make a blissful capturing of his insight in seeing life – the other side. I can say, every poem in this collection speaks in volume of vocalization; in no use of simplicity. We have poets that do write in a connotative language, and denotative, both have their own uniqueness and reader’s.

When we examine the meaning of RUNNING – we don’t limit to just a means of rapid movement in one’s self, we go beyond the surface level, that’s poetry speaking in a literary dimension. I don’t take to things very easy, when it comes to Literature, or certain aspects in poetry in this content area, because its inspirations widen/connect in our daily lives.

In this collection, I read a nature well-said expression, maybe it’s a philosophically experiment, but I know, it’s a powerful emotion recollected in a gemetic area:

“A child wakes & seeks to walk. soon he does he seeks to run. speed is
an envy to desire”.(  From mosobalaje’s RUNNING)

The above expression isn’t just a mere reality of life; an oxygen that gives life- in what sense? Being a little child is limited to some extent of work, but still: walking is a paramount obligation he must perform, which makes a living out of him. For everything call ‘living’ after a born, must keep running at their feet; that makes a symbol of justice – how?

“many times.our racing  is like the dynamics of the sea. – running to the shores. only to come back to hug its own body. skin tight”(from mosobalaje’sRUNNING)

Asking question(s) and giving answer(s) in the same piece is an extraordinary gathering of words, which mosobalaje has vividly explained in his own convenient knowledge, and he also answered our questions, he too asked a question, which definitely is classified to be ‘rhetorical question’ in nature:

“what  on earth does not  run?”. (From mosobalajaesRUNNING)

Yes. Figure that out yourself. Check your mind. Check things around you. Environment.  In what particular is the question referring to? The question is not just a mere statement, it’s from experience, it’s certainty, nothing in life that does not run, nothing.

Sooner or later, a writer will have the essential elements of formal sentence correctness under control and will want to find the best ways of making sentences convey meaning effectively: how to phrase statements definitely, place coordinate thoughts in coordinate structures, subordinate to sharpen the relation between main assertions and modifying elements, eliminate unnecessary words, vary sentence structure, maintain consistency of tone, and smooth the general flow of words.

Seemingly minor improvements—the moving of a clause from one position to another, a shift from the passive to the active voice, even a slight change in rhythm—can make the difference.

Of course,  not just a voice we have in this collection, we have many voices of profound poets that gave their view of point in aspect of RUNNING inspired by Mosobalaje.

“What if we don’t die?” (A title of a poem in the collection by Abiola Samuel), seeing in another way, Samuel is trying to give a knock out question; to digress the readers, but not out of point, because poetry is not what you write and still not find a message to taste, never! In aspect of this, the question is still on the meaning of RUNNING – What if we never stop running, what if we still continue to be in pains, what if,what if? A poet is known to have a cacophony song on his lips, why? It makes you differ from other people, due to your challenges. I will support the motion that state:

” For every poem, there must be a tragic incident behind it”. Indeed. Samuel has given a drop of it – widely connected. Reading through the lines, I got lost, i couldn’t find myself, because I began to wonder how each lines are still attacking the theme given -RUNNING, but; you don’t understand clearly the meaning of poetry until the end, we may have many things on our minds, it’s normal, but, having a clear understanding without the end of the line in poetry, it’s another thing else, that’s why poets are gods, they are betrayal of words. What has Samuel said to complete his own convenient knowledge in experience:

“But, what if we  don’t die And we keep running?”. A powerful question checking the ills of the society.

” It is no news that this life is a race, while no one wants to come last, none wants to come first  running into the grave”( from Tukur Loba’s RACE). This is another perspective of a poet, seeing RUNNING be ‘no news’ which means: Not a new thing,  it’s not something we don’t know/come across, we all are elements of each circumstances, when a poet capture things like Tukur did, its meaning cause a deep thinking, a debt of thoughts. Who wants to come last in life? Nobody, but we all know not everyone could be winner, just one person is expected. But still, none wants to come last. We can venture into unity/peace in that picture.

“Have you ever wondered why everything happens so fast?” ( From Micheal Ace’s poem). I don’t know too, maybe because:

“The world runs in cycles Man is locked in a loop Of time & routines Like gears  running into each other In the mind of the clock”. ( From Jide Badmus’s RUNNING)

Or maybe:

“life is an unanswered question, the solution is death. and it answers all  questions.with another  question ‘why?’ you know, the things that chase  us are  limitless, limbless and sometimes so heartless.so we just  keep running. life itself started with a race against a million ‘us’.( From Oladoyin  Oluwabukunmi’s RUNNING).

I notice all the poets are asking questions,  not just a question, but, a rhetorical question, that’s another symbol itself, life is a home of questions, for all the poets to ask questions does not mean they don’t have any understanding, but, they want to create a dialogue  in between the writer and reader: for us to have a clear view of their punchlines in our hearts, even with the saying of all the poets, we got to the conclusion which says:

“But running never stops If living never ends”(from oni olanrewaju’s RUNNING). That’s the answer to all the said questions.But I will say, keep running, for you to never keep stagnant.

Mosobalaje is an inspiration.

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