A Review of "To A Dying People" by Jerry King Nwobodo

Written by Oluwatoyin Jegede 

- I want to believe that the term "people" dominant in the piece actually means "trees" according to the poet. It is a sort of abstract concept which makes the poem two-dimensional on the ground of interpretation. The main dimension being "Nature of trees". The secondary dimension which is rather abstract (an abstraction I perceive the poet has rather given to the main dimension) is Nature of men.

Verse 1 explains why the poet chose the background! Yes, personifying the forest trees. In skies filled with white patches, even if it's wide.. He has done well with the first three lines in telling us about these 'trees'.

Verse 2: The fantastic nature of the wild. It's rather too romantic! Notice I am using verse. This reminds one of "dance in the rain" by a Nigerian singer. The majestic nature of the wild. At first, one can refer to the death of loved ones and how they have decayed into becoming trees standing side by side in the forest. Maybe that's why trees dance and the woods are horrific because we have some wicked persons turned into trees Yeah, quite metaphysical there.

Verse 3: The same thing, I think. The poet flourishes here with his line giving me no doubt that the trees indeed are of the wild!

Verse 4: Of course trees bear fruits and can be a source of habitation for living things too.

Conclusion
If one reads the poem (having decided to read "people" as "tree"),  one has the true perspective of the piece because one is in the gross dimension. The tangible! But if one just takes "people" as "people" as consecutively used in the poem one will have an abstract connection with the message. And at this stage, it takes quite a mental work to be fully engaged and to completely garner what's in the piece.