“We stock goals like pregnant clouds. Our aspirations are fallacious fallacies.”
A number of award-winning author Tolu A. Akinyemi, also called Tolutoludo, with over twenty-one books below his belt, isn’t any stranger to utilizing the only of phrases to convey the deepest of meanings. His poetry doesn’t ship you on a chartless errand or depart you questioning about which means. As an alternative, it dives proper into the center of the matter, providing you an avenue to ponder, query, and take in the essence of every poem. In “You Want Extra Than Goals,” Akinyemi is obvious about his mission and his viewers. This assortment of fifty-six didactic and instructive poems, divided into two elements, is focused at younger individuals and youngsters of their early life. There’s a sort of purity this e book is determined for younger individuals to protect, and it’s not ashamed to be prescriptive about it. The poems on this assortment are written in hindsight; in that, the poet appears to be writing from the knowledge of the previous, as if he’s recollecting occasions and rendering them in verse.
The primary poem, “Finest Of My Youth,” captures the complexities of rising older, the dilemmas and dynamics of identification, in addition to the presence of peer stress and the youthful carefreeness that always comes with a future value. The road “I misplaced my virginity on the flip of a coin,” exhibits how flippantly some selections are made by younger individuals. In the identical poem, there’s a distinction between blooming right into a sparkle and turning into a shadow, thus portraying the very complicated journey of discovering oneself. This poem is an efficient opening for the full-length assortment as many different poems do precisely what this poem has executed when it comes to theme and message.
The second poem, “Teenage Fantasies,” explores the conflict between private wishes and parental expectations. The need to be unbiased among the many youth is powerful, and this want is met with friction as a consequence of parental authority. We see in “Younger Thinker” and “Magic” the ability of creativeness, the marvel of a dream, and the truth that comes with it. The previous is encouraging younger individuals to dream boundlessly, and the latter is telling them to not stay on the prisms of goals and stroll the speak. A whole lot of poems on this assortment discover expression, sexuality, innocence, youthful selections, the pursuit of perfection, and the need of younger individuals to fairly actually explode. In “Converse Out,” for instance, the opening traces “My tongue is a blistering missile / fleeing from this cage of silence” counsel an escape from a sort of stifling. The traces “As soon as, / I used to be each a boy and a shadow” discuss with an interior battle, an uncertainty on the very lengthy journey of turning into. The poem is an open name for younger individuals to at all times converse their reality.
Anybody who reads this assortment can deduce the underlying tones of spirituality. All through the e book, there are mentions of the celestial, sanctuary, obedience and sacrifice, altars, transgression, holiness, overcoming, consuming hearth, prayer, and others. The preservation of youth, particularly towards roving fingers as acknowledged in “Guard Your Physique,” is based upon the presence of a Christian religion.
“You Want Extra Than Goals” is a e book that wishes younger individuals to be susceptible and bear their insecurities. The traces “Come susceptible / like a unadorned wire” in “Susceptible II” mainly admit that the results of baring oneself is likely to be surprising however the spark and freedom that include it are value it ultimately.
As a lot as this assortment is focused on the youth, it holds older individuals accountable. If there aren’t any worthy position fashions who will the youth look as much as? A toddler’s upbringing colors their youth and may make or break their want to dream and fulfil their goals. In “Greys” and lots of different poems on this assortment, we get a way that knowledge and validation from dad and mom is a good factor for an adolescent to want however at what value? How do younger individuals really feel about turning into the whole lot their dad and mom need them to be? What occurs to their individuality?
Akinyemi makes use of metaphors so frivolously and excellently to convey his message on this assortment. The traces “Let me write this poem / within the easiest of languages/ with out heavy metaphors: / you aren’t inferior,” in his poem “Inferiority Advanced” is a testomony to this. To stress the ability of getting ingenious concepts within the poem “Concepts,” the poet writes, “A Poverty of concepts is a booby lure / that ensnares even the brightest of males.” The road “My teenage crush was a scarf of serenity” portrays the joys and luxury that comes with having a teenage crush and the way the naivety that led to the crush finally wanes in the long term.
If the gathering didn’t trace on the stress and addictive tendencies of social media and the way it impacts the youth, it will have fallen brief in its declare to assist younger individuals navigate this delicate time. The traces “for these pristine photos are made / pixel excellent / with filters — / edited beauties,” within the poem “Social Media” paint an image of the false perfection depicted on-line and warn younger individuals to not be fazed by it. “You Want Extra Than Goals” is undeniably tailor-made for a younger viewers; nonetheless, it appears to lean in direction of the experiences of younger boys. In a way, teenage boys could resonate extra with some poems on this assortment than teenage women would. This e book is a wonderful advice for establishments of studying who wish to chart younger individuals on the fitting path whereas introducing them to poetry in its primary and true type.
The poem “Gang Wars” on this e book is poignant as it’s evocative; it talks about city decay occasioned by violence and youthful delinquencies. The traces “Ten black youths embellished with the Portrait of Delinquency” paint a stark image of younger lives tainted by crime and despair. Sadly, the streets are filled with younger individuals accustomed to the exhausting and quick life and based on the poem ‘Sixteen And Extinct,” our streets have change into a memorial of our untimely deaths. In ‘Vestiges of Crime’ the poet concludes the poem with a message to the youth. He says; “Don’t be a villain if you will be the moon / kissing the star.”
The second a part of this e book continues within the discourse of violence and crime and delves deeper into points like Cancel Tradition, Racism, and Feminism. Akinyemi is a poet who pays consideration and does his very best to make his attentiveness communicable to his audiences. My favorite factor concerning the assortment is the simplicity of it. The language is obvious and concise. It’s due to this fact a good introduction for individuals who battle to understand or join with poetry usually. “You Want Extra Than Goals” makes effort to doc the instrumental and transitional life experiences of younger individuals and past. It explores various points affecting kids and youngsters and delivers options like a mantra; this e book will likely be a blessing within the fingers of anybody of their early life.
