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For such beauties never grow in all lands
Except beside the ocean waves on sea sands"
Poetry is an equal opportunity employer. Any and all subjects may be utilized by the poet when building his collection of verse, but some end up with a lot more time on the clock than others. The theme of love, for example, is possibly the most overworked of them all, yet poems featuring its successes and failures remain the most popular. The author has an obvious affinity with the topic, as well, since he has shared an entire volume of his love-themed verse in a collection that is as lyrical as it is moving.
Culled from fifteen years of journals he kept primarily during his high school and medical school days, the poems predominantly speak of unrequited love, the longing for a life partner, and the nature of true love. A few feature celebrities such as Princess Diana and supermodel Naomi Campbell. Underpinning the majority, however, is the desire for the perfect love as embodied in Nma, the legendary and mysterious virgin princess of the author's home village of Eluama in Nigeria. Some even address her directly and have an ethereal beauty. Others, such as "Winds of Love in Hard Times," have a poignant desperation to them that pulls the heart of the reader into the poet's moment in time.
The author's poetic sensibilities hark back to the likes of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, although he usually avoids the standard rhyme schemes these masters were bound by. His poems frequently evoke a sense of place without being overtly atmospheric, a trait that allows the emotional quality of the pieces to be experienced more keenly. Nor does he try to impress his readers with confusing verbiage or odd syntax like many modern poets. In essence, Ahiabuike's stirring collection is a must for serious fans of romantic verse.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review