A paean to fatherhood and growing up

Johnson Owanta (2024, 2007), Sandscript and other poems. Originally Sandscript: A collection of poems. Umuahia: Oryx Agencies Limited.

Now in its second incarnation, Sandscript and other poems offers 60 poems that address a range of issues, experiences, states of mind. The range is broad and eclectic.

One of the recent entries is a poem that speaks to the contemporary pains of Nigerians. THE DAYS OF RAGE AND REBIRTH is a dirge lamenting the maladies of Nigeria in 2024. Even so, the poet is hopeful that:
“Perhaps our Youth
Bridling at our decades of waste
Have now burst onto the scene
Picking up the gauntlet
As the leaven of a new era.”

Sandscript’s thematic focus is personal experiences and social issues. Majority of the poems assign meaning to the experiences of the author as he grows into adulthood.

Typically, a number deal with the relationship between the genders. One poem stands out in this regard for its factuality and maturity. In “Letter to Frances”, Owanta laments the end of his relationship with his High School girlfriend without bitterness, blames or finger pointing. Both now married and with children, they have remained respectful of each other’s journey to the admiration of their classmates of the 1982 class of the Federal School of Arts & Sciences, Aba.

Structurally, the poems are free verse. There is a seeming deliberate avoidance of traditional poetic structures. The free verse aligns with the language that appeals for its simplicity. The imagery is resonant.

The tone of the poems is introspective. A few are more outward looking and cheerful.

The flagship poem is a paean to fatherhood. The outstanding penmanship of Franklyn Oyekusibe illustrated this arresting poem.

The book of poems is available on Amazon and through the author and publisher. It provides good reading.

Johnson Onyekachi Owanta recently left the Abia State public service as a director. He is an accountant.

Sandscript

He was my progenitor.
That gem of a man
That baron, that gentle giant.
To learn him
Was to love him
And so did they all
The droves of
Friends, lackeys and foes
Who marked his destiny.
He was strict,
He had his code
And unerringly guided us
In its observance,
In the rubrics of life,
On that narrow path!
Among his peers
His head stood high
For he made his mark
In the affairs of his day.
Yet he had to bow
To that universal fate
At the toll of the knell
But why?
Why did he have to go
When our tendrils
Were yet so tender
When his farm
Most needed his culture.
Only time eternal will tell.

A