Title: MEDITATIONS Author: GOODNESS OLANREWAJU AYOOLA Genre: Poetry Pages: 122 Publisher: WORDS RHYMES & RHYTHM Year of Publication: 2015 ISBN: 978-978-954-244-4 Awards: nil Reviews: AYOOLA’S ‘MEDITATIONS’ USES POETRY TO TALK ABOUT POETRY – a review by Joseph Omotayo BLURBS:

Meditations is an x-ray of individual experiences and a collective experimentation. It is therefore not surprising that there are themes and poems which address individual excesses and sense of values. There are other poems that lampoon cultural maladies in the name of modernism and individualism. I find such poems a legitimate call for a renaissance of authentic African values and respect for the “fathers”, a recurring theme in the book. It is also not surprising that such a book as Meditations will dissect the political hypocrisy bedeviling the sociocultural context in which the poems are birthed. Is it not true that the poet is a conscience of his society? Ayoola’s incursive surgery, as seen in these lines, “my pen became a blade / and i, a surgeon…” (quoted from Cutting Her), dissects with such surgical mastery that very few arteries and veins can escape his blade! He has such a unique vision of his society, which makes him write with a deep prophetic unction. Little wonder that he writes of a future very few have been privileged to see. But this book is not all about warning and criticism of the obvious; there is also the celebration of love, laughter and life. Ayoola has made a significant contribution to new modern African poetry. This book explores issues relevant to modern Africa. His use of form, language, and style adds credence to the prediction that African poetry is not only revived, but it is going to take its place once again in the verse of world poetry. If poetry is about language use; then Meditations is a masterpiece of language use in all its glory and awe! Deconstructing the English language to create such poems that anyone from anywhere in the world could read and relate with has shown that Ayoola’s international renown, as evidenced in his directorate at the World Union of Poets for Africa, is a well-deserved recognition. Ayoola is not just an African poet; he is a world poet with a universal soul. Meditations is a gift to the world. It is an access to one of the most detailed and seasoned minds of the world. It is a key to unlock the rarity of poetic ingenuity. It is an invitation to share a relish of fun, fire and the future. Thank you. — Funso Richard, Poet, Literary Critic and Co-Author of State of the State: Sordid Beatification, Chicago, IL, USA. Few people can perceive that poets are those who live more than the others. Now clearly, from “the broken rainbow” of daily realities to “the lines of gold sewn in the threads of the rainbow”, G.O. Ayoola writes the scripts of hope, reverberating the echoes of muted voices into a forceful message, thus majestically proving that the powers of the kings of the world can be counterbalanced by the prowess of the kings of the word. He demonstrates what the stars of the earth often fail to remember: that poets are the suns of the earth. So if you come across Ayoola’s verse, catch it and make a vow: he is a shooting sun. He will make art and heart come true in your life. — Brigitte Poirson, author of books in English and French, a former teacher and university lecturer in language, Franche-Comte Ayoola is one of the poets that have successfully mixed the intricacies of the old poetry forms and the new liberalities employed by modern verses. His poems are always worth the read. — Kukogho Iruesiri Samson, author of WHAT CAN WORDS DO and I SAID THESE WORDS

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[caption id="attachment_3875" align="aligncenter" width="702"] MEDITATIONS by GOODNESS OLANREWAJU AYOOLA[/caption]

Contact: Facebook: Ayoola Goodness Olanrewaju  Email: goodyylan@gmail.com Phone: 08084412951 Twitter: @GoodnessLanre Blog: WORLD OF POETRY [caption id="attachment_3873" align="aligncenter" width="702"] GOODNESS OLANREWAJU AYOOLA, author of MEDITATIONS[/caption]]]>