“If a poem hasn’t ripped apart your soul; you haven’t experienced poetry.” -Edgar Allan Poe.

Hey everyone! Kedu? Bawoni? How far? My middle name might as well be PROCASTINATOR!!! Everytime I pick up my phone or laptop to write this particular post, I end up doing a million other things.
Let me just go straight to the point. I mean, I’ve wasted enough time already.
You see guys, I’m at this point in my life where poetry is just IT. As in, if I don’t read a word of poetry in a day I might as well loose my mind. What surprises me is the way I spark after reading it. Seriously, a sister ain’t lying. I read a line and I’m just shouting. Screaming. Saying things like;
“Tooooo Maaaaadddd”
“Deeeeeppppp”
“Lllooorrrrdddddd or Laaawwwwdddd”
One would think I’m in the spirit.
Take it from me; POETRY IS SPIRITUAL!
I’ve always been a lover of literature. But the secondary school literature didn’t really resonate anything within me. If anything, I learned them dutifully just so I could make an A in WAEC but I ended up with a B. LOL!
They had complicated grammatical structures and it was a daunting task looking for imageries, metaphors, smileys and all manner of figures of speech. I loved it but I still didn’t appreciate it and so I couldn’t write poetry. I told my self, I could not write poetry.
Early this year my perspective on what an actual poem should be changed. And I saw things differently when I stumbled upon RUPI KAUR, IJEOMA UMEBINYUO, TITILOPE SONUGA, LANG LEAV, NAYYIRAH WAHEED, YRSA DALEY-WARD, WANAWANA UDOBONG, UPILE CHISALA, SARAH KAY etttttccc. And then I found SPOKEN WORD POETRY. AND THAT WAS THE HEIGHT!!! (Joshua Bennett’s Spoken word is life, blood and water)!! Argue with yourself!
These women have ripped my soul apart with their words. I bleed just reading their poems and then I write. That’s the scary thing. I WRITE POETRY.
Their poetry is different from what I’ve always thought poems to be.
Titilope Sonuga recently embarked on a poetry workshop on Instagram. She got people to write poems, giving them prompts. It was an 8-day workshop and poems were posted with the hashtag #deartitilope – Please check them out if you’re on Instagram and while at that, follow me : chimdinma_onwukwe (I was coerced to join IG because of POETRY)
I challenged myself and I must confess, I can’t remember the last time I was that dedicated. I saw my self putting down words and writing things I never would have written. It was one of the best eight days of my life.
From tomorrow, I’ll be posting my poems and I’ll give you guys the prompts. You might challenge yourselves to some of them. And I’ll put up the pictures of some of my favorite poems from dear titi’s workshop.
I love what Rena Minegishi said;
Read more women. You will find a resonance so deep and so real once you read women poets, because they know
exactly what you’ve been through, they’ve been talked down by male poets, they’ve been erased from
textbooks.
Maybe that’s why I started writing poetry. These women opened and cleared a path for me. I can relate. I’m in tune. I don’t remember a single female poet from the compulsory exam focus text we needed for literature in senior secondary school. Sad
I’m so proud of these young women that are coming up. I’m so proud of this generation. They have changed my life. When the workshop began, I had no idea a lot of people would be interested. Oh boy! I was wrong. People can write. The talent we have in Nigeria…toooooooo beautiful! I’m so proud of myself and the woman that I am becoming.
So my people! I’ll be posting the poems from tomorrow and the prompts. Ans It’s so funny because the workshop was a kind of shrinking workshop. It got emotional. Seriously!!!
I encourage you to work with the prompts and write poetry.
See you tomorrow. Morning-ish!
Love and plenty sunshine!!!
xoxo
Adriel©2016.
September 4, 2016 at 4:35 pm
Laleti!!! 🙆🙆🙆
Well done Poet Adriel Onwukwe…
You’re now on some #DeeperThanRap levels…
September 5, 2016 at 8:47 am
Titilope is indeed an amazing lady. I was unable to join in the workshop but then I loveeee most of those she reposted. Lawwd! Some poems are just so deep and mind blowing.
Lifeofdammy.com
September 5, 2016 at 8:53 am
Awww…. You can actually try some of them when you’re less busy. Like I said I’ll posting them from today. This evening. And yes, deep doesn’t even do justice to what some people wrote. It’s good to know people take this things personal. It’s beautiful.
September 9, 2016 at 9:09 pm
Omg I feel like we just had the same experience! I used to hate poetry and now it’s all I can write don’t know if it’s good or bad but that’s all I can do. I got to see Titilope perform her spoken word and I was blown away and I just read Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur and it was mind blowing!!! I totally relate to this
September 9, 2016 at 9:25 pm
Awwwwww….. So nice… It’s a GOOD THING THAT YOU WRITE POETRY. Can’t believe you’ve read milk and honey. I’m actually jealous right now. I have a folder on my laptop for Rupi Kaur. I actually have a folder for each of them. And you should see her ted talk too….😊
September 9, 2016 at 9:14 pm
I totally agree with you. I watched Titilope perform her spoken word and it was life changing and I just read Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur and it was the most amazing experience ever! I relate to this 100% all I seem to do now is write poetry.
January 11, 2017 at 9:15 am
I agree with you poetry is like a spirit. It changes your entire mood, and have no sympathy when it holds you spell bound