Title: Little Words
Author: Amife Sabatina
Year of Publication: 2022
Number of Pages: 115
Category: Poetry
Despite the fact that blue is often associated with feelings of melancholy and depression, a lot of people find it to be a soothing color. This ties well with the concept of the book cover and the content of the poetry collection titled “Little Words” by Unashamed Poet Amife Sabatina, who writes about the sorrow and stress that can emerge from living a day-to-day existence.
Little Words contains poetry and stories that span the author’s life and reflect on many different times.
Sabatina’s talent to weave a captivating tale is not shared by all poets. This book is, on the one hand, a biography of the poet’s formative years, and, on the other hand, it is a collection of poems that eloquently explore love, life, pain, and redemption.
The language she uses is lovely, and the images she paints are striking. Her writing and poems have an effortless quality that belies their complexity.
One poem by Sabatina that encapsulates the book’s tone as a whole is “My Grandmother’s Hands,” which is full of warmth and nostalgia. As she puts it, “My grandmothers’ hands have wrinkles/ Wrinkles that tell a story/ A story that I can only imagine/ Because grandmothers, you do not say.”
Go away now/ I want to be with myself/ I need to speak to a crying part of me/ And quiet the part that won’t stop/Singing a sad song/ I need to smile. This desire for happiness may be found repeated numerous times in each and every section of the book.
Sabatina isn’t being unduly critical of herself, which will come as a relief to readers of “Growth” despite her frankness about the difficulties of the personal growth process.
Some, like “The Broken Mirror Shards,” offer comfort not by avoiding the problem but by addressing it head-on and discovering positive aspects within it. You can read this collection of poetry and prose through once, and then return to it to relish its words.
Her ability to observe even the most minute of things, as seen in “Rain” and “Big Wild World,” is what draws the reader into the poetry and makes them feel like they are there.
It is exciting and enjoyable to read Sabatina’s book, but it is even better when you look closely at the illustrations and realize how skillfully and thoughtfully it has been crafted. This makes the book even more enjoyable.
A daring attempt that was ultimately successful. Even readers who aren’t typically interested in poetry may find something in this book to pique their interest.
About the reviewer
Titilade Oyemade is a business executive in a leading organisation and holds a degree in Russian Language. She’s the convener of the Hangoutwithtee Ladies Event and the publisher of Hangoutwithtee magazine. She spends her weekends attending women conferences, events and book readings. She loves to have fun and to help other women have the same in their lives. Email: [email protected] Social: @tiipreeofficial
