<body><div class="booster-block booster-read-block">
 <div class="twp-read-time">
 	<i class="booster-icon twp-clock"></i> <span>Read Time:</span>7 Minute, 36 Second </div>

 </div>
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">According
to the organizers, the reason for instituting the annual ERIATA ORIBHABOR
POETRY PRIZE (EOPP) 2018, of which I was a co-judge, is to “give the
much-needed attention to Nigerian poetry and encourage young Nigerian poets to
use poetry as a tool for social change.” This is laudable.</h5>



<p>I have learned from experience that people who have changed our communities and worldviews are those who are willing to go to those places others shy away from – In thoughts, words, and actions. Change agents are people who are not afraid of offending others while implementing the change they desire for the best of those who are around them and beyond. </p>



<p>This
is also applicable in poetry. When I see prompts like the one for EOPP 201
contest <em>– which called for “well-worded poems on the sub-themes of </em><em>Unity,
Truth, Justice, Change and Sustainable Development</em><em> in
society, with focus on Nigeria; her people, cultures, experiences, hopes, and
aspirations”,</em> I looked for poetry
that isn’t tame: one that is vulnerable and raw, with unique perspective,
passion, and influence that impacts everyone,
even those who are not poetry lovers. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" src="https://www.wrr.ng/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CONTEST-WINNERS-CHINUA-EZENWA-OHAETO-1024x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-36723" loading="lazy"><figcaption><em>Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto, winner of the Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize (EOPP) 2018</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>One mistake poets make when submitting for contests with
prompts like this is that they easily fall to the familiar ideas, forgetting
that many other entrants may propose the
same idea and perspective. This was evident as we judged the EOPP 2018. </p>



<p>The winning, ‘<strong>I Burn
Incenses before Sleep’</strong> by Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto, employed the magic of
pronouns using “You” in establishing rapport with the audience. At first read, you will find that it is
distinguishable and with intent. It was unlike many of the entries which fell
into the common spell of starting their poems with lyrics from the Nigerian
anthem or pledge just because the prompt asks that the entrants focus on
Nigeria.</p>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" style="text-align:center">READ THE POEM IN THE EOPP 2018 CHAPBOOK – (FREE DOWNLOAD)</h6>



<p><strong>‘I Burn
Incenses before Sleep’</strong>, like the other poems in the top 3: ‘<strong>The Sound of Rainbow</strong><strong>’</strong> and<strong> ‘A Patriot’s
Requiem or an Immigrant’s Testament’</strong>, found ways to make the
prompt personal to them and their readers. This is good because, whenever a reader picks a book or any material to read, the subconscious
is always trying to find where to connect to in the writer’s work. </p>



<p>While ‘<strong>The Sound of Rainbow</strong><strong>’</strong> and<strong> ‘A Patriot’s
Requiem or an Immigrant’s Testament’</strong> may not have used the
pronoun “You,” they have similar effects.
Their use of the pronoun “I” personalizes the poem and does two jobs
simultaneously. It tells their own story and makes the reader own the story so that, if the poem were to be read aloud,
it would be personal and the reader would have a higher level of emotional
commitment or connection to the work. </p>



<p>It
is important to note here that it is not wrong to write using pronouns and identifiable
characters in poems. However, as writers, we need to be conscious of the
different effects that our choice of words have on our readers and the target
demographic.</p>



<p>Another
thing I look for in poems (and contests like this) is how the writer employs
the knowledge that the target audience has (or
should have). In <strong>‘I Burn
Incenses before Sleep’</strong>, Ezenwa-Ohaetocreatively references and highlights different stories of Nigerian
sufferings and problems that have made headlines such as terrorism, jungle justice,
homosexualism and more. Unlike many of the other poems which dwelled on a
singular idea or problem to elaborate on,
this poem dabbled safely and quickly with these highlights that were excellent representation of many areas that the
contest prompts demanded. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.wrr.ng/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/I-Burn-Incenses-before-Sleep-2.jpg?fit=628%2C1024&;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-36722" loading="lazy"><figcaption><em>Burning Incense (Pexels.com)</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>In lines 3-9 the poet says;</p>



<p class="has-small-font-size"><em>Hauwa, she grew a garden, and harvested blasted bones. Abiodun, she went to the market </em></p>



<p class="has-small-font-size"><em>and her breath faded in the smoke. Onyejeno, he saw a friend off near Okpokwu and </em></p>



<p class="has-small-font-size"><em>was burned alive. Sochimma, she held a school of flowers and was pulsed through knives. </em></p>



<p class="has-small-font-size"><em>Ehi’zogie, his brother’s body was placed into a lighted tire for kissing a boy. </em></p>



<p class="has-small-font-size"><em>Ebuka, Olisa’s friend, drowned with the mangled bodies sprouting at his backyard. </em></p>



<p class="has-small-font-size"><em>Onoriode, she admired the moon and was nailed down into a burlap for godheads. </em></p>



<p class="has-small-font-size"><em>Odimegwu, he stepped out for a stroll and caught a halo of blood around his neck. </em></p>



<p>Another point that I like to rate poems is how the poet utilizes the characters created and makes their voice distinct. The characters in <strong>‘I Burn Incenses before Sleep’ </strong>seem to have actual lives and experiences and the author did not just give them names with a swirl of words around them. Each character is purposeful. </p>



<p>Tolu Akinyemi once told me (when I was struggling with switching from poetry writing to short story writing) that it might be helpful to see poetry as a summarized version of a short story and a short story as an elaborated version of a poem. Ezenwa-Ohaetoproved this, as a reader could almost imaginatively create the life and existence of his poem’s characters.</p>



<p>Beyond the common themes and values that prompts insight, I always look for things the prompt didn’t directly ask for but the poet uses excellently. The EOPP 2018 winning poem does this by pinching subtopics such as hypocrisy in Nigeria, something we can all can relate to. </p>



<p>Especially, through the eyes of religion, we have been cajoled into believing that human-made problems are somewhat beyond human-made fixing; therefore, God should come down from heaven to get them sorted. Ezenwa-Ohaetowrote: <em>“they hold elections with armed forces and fight terrorism with prayers.” </em>This line says a lot aside from underlining the contrasts in our human actions and demands. It was a home run form me. </p>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" style="text-align:center">READ THE POEM IN THE EOPP 2018 CHAPBOOK – (FREE DOWNLOAD)</h6>



<p>Finally, the last stanza of <strong>‘I Burn Incenses before Sleep’</strong>, reminds me of a saying by one of my favorite authors, Mitchell Jackson, the author of The Residue Years and Survival Math. When I meet him, I asked: <em>“how do you know that you are at the ending of your work?”</em> His response, something that I’ll never forget, was: <em>“You know that you are at the end when it takes you back to the beginning.”</em> Ezenwa-Ohaeto’s poem does that. It didn’t leave the reader hanging as many poets do. It gave closure by returning to the beginning. It also gave the reader an action to take from its lessons. </p>



<p>The last stanza read:</p>



<p class="has-small-font-size"><em>Yet, every night I burn incenses before sleep, </em></p>



<p class="has-small-font-size"><em>hoping that each dawn will someday</em></p>



<p class="has-small-font-size"><em>bring a new smile here: where people will grow to age; </em></p>



<p class="has-small-font-size"><em>where people can stay and fit in; where love will flower and bloom </em></p>



<p class="has-small-font-size"><em>and where peace and unity will grow for people in here to stay as one.</em></p>



<p>In <strong>‘I Burn Incenses
before Sleep’</strong>, you will find
back to back ‘aha moments’ that Ezenwa-Ohaeto forged
from ideas and perspectives many of us must have pondered but discarded,
probably out of the fear of offending our social relations, and popular religious
opinions – questioning but refusing to express.</p>



<p>With respect to the poet’s style in ‘<strong>I Burn Incenses before Sleep’</strong>, I particularly like the unconventional line breaks and intriguing word-coinage and simply to understand by intriguing imagery. I also loved the poem’s overall message about lives that have been lost, cut short by the misfortunes that Nigeria bears. </p>



<p>At this point, I will like to point out one thing that many developing poets fail to realize in poetry writing: THE TITLE SERVES THE PURPOSE OF INVITING YOUR READER. So, if it isn’t appealing enough, it can chase a reader away. The title is what the poem explores, which is why one may read poems and ask: <em>“so, how does this relate to the title?”. </em>Therefore, titles should be there with intention and not just for decoration. Ezenwa-Ohaeto’s title sold the poem to me at first read.</p>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" style="text-align:center">READ THE POEM IN THE EOPP 2018 CHAPBOOK – (FREE DOWNLOAD)</h6>



<p>For me, in ‘<strong>I Burn Incenses before Sleep’</strong>, Ezenwa-Ohaeto reached a height of honesty, passion and vulnerability, one that flawlessly implements its didactics and has the power to affect people, things and systems that we hold on to religiously. </p>



<p>He is the type of writer who bears the spirits of great Nigerian poets and lyricists such as Wole Soyinka, Odia Ofeimun, Femi Osafisan, Fela Kuti Anikulapo; writers who refused to be cowards, facing Nigeria’s many problems with positive anger.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://www.wrr.ng/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CHINUA-EZENWA-OHAETO.png" alt="" data-id="36725" data-link="https://www.wrr.ng/?attachment_id=36725" class="wp-image-36725" loading="lazy"><figcaption><em>Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto, winner of the Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize (EOPP) 2018</em></figcaption></figure></li></ul>



<hr class="wp-block-separator">



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" style="text-align:center" id="mce_43">The <a href="https://www.wrr.ng/csr/EOPP/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="">ERIATA</a><a rel="noreferrer noopener" class="" href="https://www.wrr.ng/csr/EOPP/" target="_blank"> ORIBHABOR POETRY PRIZE (EOPP)</a> is an annual literary prize instituted in November 2012 to give the much-needed attention Nigerian poetry deserves and encourage young Nigerian poets to use poetry as a tool for social change. The Prize finds its purpose in the belief that poetry and the arts are agents of social change that must routinely encouraged. </h4>
 
 <div class="booster-block booster-author-block">
 <div class="be-author-details layout-square align-left">
 <div class="be-author-wrapper">
 <div class="booster-row">
 <div class="booster-column booster-column-two booster-column-mobile">
 <div class="be-author-image">
 <img alt="" src="https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/73bab4f114ba85a9d930a79c89be515f598ec291a048b803b470028dc6f54936?s=400&;d=mm&;r=g" class="avatar avatar-400 photo avatar-img" height="400" width="400" loading="lazy"> </div>
 </div>
 <div class="booster-column booster-column-eight booster-column-mobile">
 <div class="author-details">
 <header class="twp-plugin-title twp-author-title">
 <h2>About Post Author</h2>
 </header>
 <h4 class="be-author-meta be-author-name">
 <a href="https://www.wrr.ng/author/oyin/" class="booster-url-link">
 Oyindamola Shoola </a>
 </h4>
 <div class="be-author-meta be-author-description">SHOOLA OYINDAMOLA was born and raised in Ibadan, Nigeria. She is a published poet, a feminist, a mentor, a blogger and Co-founder and Resource manager of Sprinng Literary Movement. She loves to writes poems, essays and her non-classifiable opinions. She uses her writing skills with her feminist drive to discuss the gender injustices that need to be fixed. Her first collection of poems is titled “Heartbeat”. Her second, To Bee A Honey, was published in 2017.</div>
 <div class="be-author-meta be-author-email">
 <a href="mailto:%20shoolaoyin@aol.com" class="booster-url-link">
 <span class="booster-svg-icon booster-svg-envelope"><svg class="booster-svg" aria-hidden="true" role="img" focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24"><path fill="currentColor" d="M0 3v18h24v-18h-24zm6.623 7.929l-4.623 5.712v-9.458l4.623 3.746zm-4.141-5.929h19.035l-9.517 7.713-9.518-7.713zm5.694 7.188l3.824 3.099 3.83-3.104 5.612 6.817h-18.779l5.513-6.812zm9.208-1.264l4.616-3.741v9.348l-4.616-5.607z"></path></svg></span>shoolaoyin@aol.com </a>
 </div>
 <div class="be-author-meta be-author-url">
 <a href="http://www.shoolaoyin.com" target="_blank" class="booster-url-link">
 <span class="booster-svg-icon booster-svg-sphere"><svg class="booster-svg" aria-hidden="true" role="img" focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24"><path fill="currentColor" d="M 11.25 1.5 C 5.035156 1.5 0 6.535156 0 12.75 C 0 18.964844 5.035156 24 11.25 24 C 17.464844 24 22.5 18.964844 22.5 12.75 C 22.5 6.535156 17.464844 1.5 11.25 1.5 Z M 17.617188 16.5 C 17.816406 15.550781 17.941406 14.546875 17.984375 13.5 L 20.972656 13.5 C 20.894531 14.535156 20.652344 15.542969 20.253906 16.5 Z M 4.882812 9 C 4.683594 9.949219 4.558594 10.953125 4.515625 12 L 1.527344 12 C 1.605469 10.964844 1.847656 9.957031 2.246094 9 Z M 16.078125 9 C 16.304688 9.960938 16.441406 10.964844 16.484375 12 L 12 12 L 12 9 Z M 12 7.5 L 12 3.109375 C 12.34375 3.210938 12.679688 3.375 13.011719 3.609375 C 13.636719 4.050781 14.230469 4.726562 14.738281 5.566406 C 15.085938 6.148438 15.386719 6.796875 15.640625 7.5 Z M 7.761719 5.566406 C 8.269531 4.726562 8.863281 4.050781 9.488281 3.609375 C 9.820312 3.375 10.15625 3.207031 10.5 3.109375 L 10.5 7.5 L 6.859375 7.5 C 7.113281 6.792969 7.414062 6.148438 7.761719 5.566406 Z M 10.5 9 L 10.5 12 L 6.015625 12 C 6.058594 10.964844 6.195312 9.960938 6.421875 9 Z M 2.246094 16.5 C 1.847656 15.542969 1.605469 14.535156 1.527344 13.5 L 4.515625 13.5 C 4.558594 14.546875 4.683594 15.550781 4.882812 16.5 Z M 6.015625 13.5 L 10.5 13.5 L 10.5 16.5 L 6.421875 16.5 C 6.195312 15.539062 6.058594 14.535156 6.015625 13.5 Z M 10.5 18 L 10.5 22.390625 C 10.15625 22.289062 9.820312 22.125 9.488281 21.890625 C 8.863281 21.449219 8.269531 20.773438 7.761719 19.933594 C 7.414062 19.351562 7.113281 18.703125 6.859375 18 Z M 14.738281 19.933594 C 14.230469 20.773438 13.636719 21.449219 13.011719 21.890625 C 12.679688 22.125 12.34375 22.292969 12 22.390625 L 12 18 L 15.640625 18 C 15.386719 18.707031 15.085938 19.351562 14.738281 19.933594 Z M 12 16.5 L 12 13.5 L 16.484375 13.5 C 16.441406 14.535156 16.304688 15.539062 16.078125 16.5 Z M 17.984375 12 C 17.945312 10.953125 17.816406 9.949219 17.617188 9 L 20.253906 9 C 20.652344 9.957031 20.894531 10.964844 20.972656 12 Z M 19.46875 7.5 L 17.222656 7.5 C 16.785156 6.121094 16.179688 4.914062 15.457031 3.949219 C 16.453125 4.429688 17.355469 5.066406 18.144531 5.855469 C 18.648438 6.359375 19.089844 6.910156 19.46875 7.5 Z M 4.355469 5.855469 C 5.144531 5.066406 6.046875 4.429688 7.042969 3.949219 C 6.320312 4.914062 5.714844 6.121094 5.277344 7.5 L 3.03125 7.5 C 3.410156 6.910156 3.851562 6.359375 4.355469 5.855469 Z M 3.03125 18 L 5.277344 18 C 5.714844 19.378906 6.320312 20.585938 7.042969 21.550781 C 6.046875 21.070312 5.144531 20.433594 4.355469 19.644531 C 3.851562 19.140625 3.410156 18.589844 3.03125 18 Z M 18.144531 19.644531 C 17.355469 20.433594 16.453125 21.070312 15.457031 21.550781 C 16.179688 20.585938 16.785156 19.378906 17.222656 18 L 19.46875 18 C 19.089844 18.589844 18.648438 19.140625 18.144531 19.644531 Z M 18.144531 19.644531 "></path></svg></span>http://www.shoolaoyin.com </a>
 </div>
 </div>
 <div class="be-author-profiles">
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </body>
EZENWA-OHAETO REACHED A HEIGHT OF HONESTY, PASSION AND VULNERABILITY IN ‘I BURN INCENSES BEFORE SLEEP’: A REVIEW OF EOPP 2018 WINNING POEM BY OYINDAMOLA SHOOLA
