Favourite Poems of 2009

Readers' Picks:

Apology to Witches by Darko Antwi (Issue 3.41, October 10th - 16th, 2009)

Comments on Apology to Witches:

"I chose this poem because it holds a stock of lesson for every African to read. Many times we have lashed out at Europeans for being the sources of our woes. Though they can't be left out entirely, much havoc have caused by we ourselves and the writer explicitly reveals that. He pinpoints some instances where societies have come in to decide the fate of African and makes it quite satirical, compelling readers to reorganise their thoughts and assess themselves before the cast the first stone.

In a nut shell, I chose this poem because it's not meant for relaxation, but instead is meant to cause to people to change their ways in order to see the change that they long been looking for." - Adjei Agyei-Baah

"A critic and a constant on OGOV, Darko has almost single-handedly resurrected the power of analysis on OGOV. With this poem, he goes straight into the issue of projection, of blaming others for the consequences of our actions. Darko fearlessly presents the subject with the splendid couplet:

Nobody did us
We did ourselves" - Prince Mensah

Savannah Rain, West Africa by Daniela Elza (Issue 3.6, February 7th - 13th, 2009)

Comments on Savannah Rain, West Africa:

"Cinematic. Great pacing. Carries itself in 11 couplets, until the very last line. Harnesses the suddenness of a tropical storm, then slows it down so the reader can experience it as if through a stop-motion lens. It is about the Savannah's most precious and treasured element - water - and how its action shapes everything else." - L.S. Mensah

"Brilliant. Brilliant. And I want to say this again." - Martin Egblewogbe

For my Husband, an Educated Fool by Nana Yeboaa (Issue 3.23, June 6th - 12th, 2009)

Comments on For my Husband, an Educated Fool:

"Nana Yeboaa just said what so many women would like to say but can't... " - Mariska Taylor-Darko

"I like this poem because it channels the frustrations of women who are caught up in the constant redefinitions of love within and outside a race. It is about the travails in the exposure of familiarity to a terrain of new options. There is a theme akin to the central one in "Things Fall Apart" - the center cannot hold because a new reality has risen on horizons of heritage." - Prince Mensah

Zimbabwe by Prince Mensah (Issue 3.44, October 31st - November 6th, 2009)

Comments on Zimbabwe:

""Zimbabwe" is a beautifully crafted poem in which Prince explores the ideas of place-naming, identity, and boundaries. He does this with a melodic voice, carrying the reader through the politics of Zimbabwe with seeming effortlessness." - Marta Taylor

"The struggle continues, a bold moving poem Prince." - Ivor W. Hartmann

Staff Picks:

Why Birds Sing by L.S. Mensah (Issue 3.37, September 12 - 18th, 2009)

Comments on Why Birds Sing:

"L.S. is a treasure. She writes with such probing ability that just one read of her poem is an injustice to the love of poetry. She commands attention from her readers with her style and manages to present language in a bouquet of beautiful images - here's a prophecy: L S will become one of Ghana's top poets. Mark this on the wall." - Prince Mensah

""Why Birds Sing" is my favourite poem published on OGOV in 2009. L.S. Mensah's attention to form and to sound is admirable. Like Edith Faalong in 2008, L.S. has arrived in full form. We can only hope that 2010 will bring us new poets of similar talent - and of course more work from L.S.!" - Rob Taylor

Pantoum #4 by Van G. Garrett / Fui Koshi (Issue 3.35, September 1st - 4th, 2009)

Comment on Pantoum #4:

""Pantoum #4" is from Van's "Snaps of Ghana" series, which ran on OGOV throughout August and into early September. "Snaps of Ghana", featuring Van's photographs and poems from his travels throughout Ghana, was the first time we focused an entire month on the work of one poet, and was a great success. With or without the rest of the series for support, "Pantoum #4" is a strong poem, utilizing its form to reinforce its themes of relaxation and contemplation." - Rob Taylor

Interregnum by L.S. Mensah (Issue 3.45, November 7th - 13th, 2009)

Comment on Interregnum:

"What an apt poem! The beauty of being is on display in this poem. This is juxtaposed with the bleak sense of emptiness with laughter-morsels with Brother Silence. L.S. Mensah just gave Zimbabweans a gift, a still picture of existence, a reportage on reality. This poem showcases a poet who is observant of the past, present and future in a single passing moment." - Prince Mensah

Snaps of Ghana by Van G. Garrett - pantoum #4

in a sun-lit spot
children recline
during a midday festival
exuberance has its place

children recline
tired and optimistic
exuberance has its place
young bones also grow weary

tired and optimistic
and all is well
young bones also grow weary
outstretched on the peaceful shore

and all is well
as music swells on the water-filled scape
outstretched on the peaceful shore
that sings with sounds unheard

as music swells on the water-filled scape
during a midday festival
that sings with sounds unheard
in a sun-lit spot

Snaps of Ghana by Van G. Garrett - durbar kwansaba

lively skins stretch across the rim of
a beach rippled with summer drum beats
air-lifted sounds chimed in swift unison
as toes upkick sand and dig grooves
where hips pivot and sway with colors
alive like royal pink and green flowers
planted by the not so still waters

Snaps of Ghana by Van G. Garrett - wisdom

we listen intently to spinning stories
at the base of a tree
where spools of the past
create modern-day tapestries

Snaps of Ghana by Van G. Garrett - slave castle door

waves have licked this door
its frame rusted at the hinges

aqua scales peeled back
and wood splintered

a timeline of slavery’s entrance

Snaps of Ghana by Van G. Garrett - keta

some places hold your attention
like a picture enveloped in a frame:
simple and complex
tree-bent around the brain

Snaps of Ghana by Van G. Garrett - mt. afadjato

winded at the top of the mountain
shirt soaking with accomplishment
my heaving chest and aching legs
instinctively leap for joy

Snaps of Ghana by Van G. Garrett - the strong ones

there is power
in the numbers of regimented youth
standing confidently on the front line
ready to take on the world
with firm and tender hands

Snaps of Ghana by Van G. Garrett - there is something special about this kid

something in his eyes
that says that he is a quiet warrior
a lion that will lead without an uproar

Snaps of Ghana by Van G. Garrett - colors on the waters

in a fishing town
boats canvas the landscape like paint on a palette
dragging nets below and above the blue
like water fowl searching for prey

Snaps of Ghana by Van G. Garrett - a valentine's day poem: for africa

i loved you the first time i searched your mountains
and felt your deepest plains: breathtakingly beautiful
you satisfied and complimented my spirit
as i whispered and repeatedly shouted your name
in love-laced incantations which pulsated like drums
and crested like the ocean where i sat and enjoyed
how you spoke to me in refreshing breaths
lulling and fanning me under palms
which shaded my ashed-over feet burrowed in sands
warm and limitless like my love for you
and your wonderful and ever-growing family

Snaps of Ghana by Van G. Garrett - playing in the atlantic

i renamed the ocean aya:
her indomitable spirit moved me
as she resounded in my ears
like chants bouncing on the coast
where those with and without my okra name
progressed in my likeness and greeted me
dashing     gifts     smiles     handshakes
as if we have walked africa’s paths together before

Snaps of Ghana by Van G. Garrett - brick and mortar

some places are misleading like castles
embracing skies like mothers
yet holding histories like grudges
unwritten in their bowels

Snaps of Ghana by Van G. Garrett - twins

we call them bookends
or twins because they are sisters in spirit
knowing where they are going

their past and present straddled on their back

Snaps of Ghana by Van G. Garrett - lies and truth

they told me you were no good
savage-like
evil at your essence
foaming at the mouth with red eyes

i told them i would meet you and see
if your monstrous breath would strip my skin
if your screams and chants
would pierce my brain
they laughed
rolled their eyes

when i met you
i fell in love

they lied
they lied

football kwansaba #2 - Van G. Garrett / Fui Koshi

cymbal-crashed torsos and heads make music
as a chorus strikes quickly in unison
in blurred jerseys where logos wildly pounce
when bodies pivot leap stretch fall run
and rapidly collide in high-lifting surges
that crest and hit like fierce waves
felt from the field to the stand

"football kwansaba #2" is part three of our four-part series of poems on soccer. Previous installments can be viewed from our Archive page.

Author Profle - Van G. Garrett / Fui Koshi

Biography:

Van G. Garrett is the author of Songs in Blue Negritude, a collection of poetry (Xavier Review Press, 2008). He was awarded a Dr. Kwame Nkrumah International Study Scholarship, an Archie D. and Bertha H. Walker Foundation Scholarship to attend a Fine Arts Work Center Fellowship, a Hurston/Wright Fellowship for poetry, and two Callaloo Creative Writing Fellowships for poetry. He received the Danny Lee Lawrence prize for poetry, and his poetry has been anthologized and published in journals based in Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, and London. His poems have appeared or will appear in Obsidian III, The Amistad, The Pittsburgh Quarterly, ChickenBones, Life Imitating Art, Swirl, Drumvoices Revue, Curbside Review, Urban Beat, and elsewhere. His reviews have appeared in Rolling Stone.com, African American Review, Moria,and ChickenBones.

Van earned his MAIS from the University of Houston-Victoria and his B.A. from Houston Baptist University. He is the first student to receive a graduate certificate in African American Studies from the University of Houston.

Read Van's first "football kwansaba" here.

Five Questions with Van G. Garrett/Fui Koshi:

1. The moves in game of soccer, in your poem, are likened to the motions of the sea. Was this description born out of a personal experience?

Yes. I love being near the sea. Also, I would like to think that I can find the common threads of fluid motion in sports. I really appreciate the fluid motion in boxing; however, it is certainly found in soccer as well.


2. As an American, how did you relate to a sport not extremely popular in your own country in order to give it the precise nativity in your poem?

I enjoy sports that require mental toughness. Soccer is a sport that I have not played, but I have played American football. As a matter of fact, I will be coaching a football team at an international school this season. In my poetry I seek to find the very "basic" things that pull at me and draw from / upon those key elements.


3. Your use of spaces is remarkable in the poem. It captures the marriage of individual strength and team work in order to achieve a good game in soccer. Can you describe how it feels to be a spectator in a soccer game by a beach or in a stadium in Ghana?

I got a chance to see some "local" games on beaches and on the plains of Ghana. Also, I saw the stadium where the Black Stars play, however I did not get to see any "professional" games. When I write, I, like many writers try to (re)create place, space, and time. You are correct, I made a deliberate decision to capture the tone of a game on the page -making it seem real, not staged.


4. On a light note, how good are your soccer skills in comparison to your fine poetry?

Wow. Thank you for the compliment. I should hope that I am a much better poet. I can kick and stop a ball. I think that I can do an "okay" job on defense, but I think I am a better poet. If I tried really hard I might be able to be okay, but I am getting a little older and I can't move as fast as I use to - I can still write a decent poem with the quickness of a thunder's strike.


5. Do you think the game of soccer is synonymous with the way Ghanaians live? If so, can you give us an insight into the society as you see it?

This is an astute observation. I find Ghanaians (generally speaking) to be very laid-back; exhibiting a strong sense of pride. To me these characteristics mirror soccer. You have to be flexible, but you also have to be willing to play hard with a lot of heart.

Contact Van/Fui:

vanggarrett(at)gmail.com

a valentine’s day poem: for africa - Van G. Garrett / Fui Koshi

i loved you the first time i searched your mountains
and felt your deepest plains: breathtakingly beautiful
you satisfied and complimented my spirit
as i whispered and repeatedly shouted your name
in love-laced incantations which pulsated like drums
and crested like the ocean where i sat and enjoyed
how you spoke to me in refreshing breaths
lulling and fanning me under palms
which shaded my ashed-over feet burrowed in sands
warm and limitless like my love for you
and your wonderful and ever-growing family

The photo, "The Not So Angry Atlantic", is © 2009 Van G. Garrett.

Author Profile - Van G. Garrett / Fui Koshi

Biography:

Van G. Garrett is the author of Songs in Blue Negritude, a collection of poetry (Xavier Review Press, 2008). He was awarded a Dr. Kwame Nkrumah International Study Scholarship, an Archie D. and Bertha H. Walker Foundation Scholarship to attend a Fine Arts Work Center Fellowship, a Hurston/Wright Fellowship for poetry, and two Callaloo Creative Writing Fellowships for poetry. He received the Danny Lee Lawrence prize for poetry, and his poetry has been anthologized and published in journals based in Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, and London. His poems have appeared or will appear in Obsidian III, The Amistad, The Pittsburgh Quarterly, ChickenBones, Life Imitating Art, Swirl, Drumvoices Revue, Curbside Review, Urban Beat, and elsewhere. His reviews have appeared in Rolling Stone.com, African American Review, Moria,and ChickenBones.

Van earned his MAIS from the University of Houston-Victoria and his B.A. from Houston Baptist University. He is the first student to receive a graduate certificate in African American Studies from the University of Houston.

Five Questions with Van G. Garrett/Fui Koshi:

1. Last year you traveled in Ghana, which most likely motivated this poem. Why did you choose to dedicate this poem to the whole continent and not just Ghana?

My love for Africa is far-reaching. I love Ghana, however I have met Africans (and I continue to meet Africans) from various regions in my travels across the globe. Trying to partition or limit my love to only Ghanaian Sisters and Brothers is like trying to extract and appreciate a single particle of sand on a beach — there is so much more to enjoy. There is so much more to acknowledge.


2. It seems as though this is a poem of gratitude. I think many people who travel to Ghana are grateful for the experience. Do you feel indebted to the country, like it has given a gift to you that you must find a way to repay? If so, does writing poetry play a role in that "repayment" process?

I am glad that I had the unique opportunity to visit the Continent. As a writer and as a student of the Diaspora, I have endless connections to Ghana. A lot of the poems that I wrote prior to my going to Africa commented on the land and the people in a heartfelt, yet removed way. Now, when I write about the Continent I write about things that I know from experience(s). I draw from places that are now a part of me, not just things that I once experienced vicariously. I am glad to write with a new sense of purpose, one that does seek to “repay” the Country for what she unselfishly gave to me.


3. Of your memories of Ghana, what sticks with you the most: the people, the landscape, or the history? Is this what you expected before you visited?

Again, I think about the previously stated metaphor about sand. It is too hard to speak about my countless memories of Ghana in isolated trains of thought; the people, landscapes and history, all supply memories that will not soon flee. It is this blending of the aforementioned trio that makes Ghana so special. Additionally, experiencing the “unexpected” things in my encounters with the trio supplied heightened experiences that superseded my preconceived notions.


4. You seem to gravitate towards shorter, more compact poems than most on OGOV, especially when considering your particular interest in the kwansaba form. Are we only seeing one side of your work, or are most of your poems quite short? If the latter, what is it about short, compact poems that attracts you?

That is a great question. The “short poems” are my hallmark. I like being able to say a lot in a small space, a major reason why I write kwansabas. I also write in many Japanese forms; I generally try to say what I need to say in fourteen lines or less, much like a sonnet in that regard.

In our previous interview I mentioned that my poems will be longer and more sensual after I returned to the States. This piece may still be a “short poem”, but I think that it is sensual. The poems in my new collection are three to four times longer and stronger than my earlier poems.


5. In the time since you've returned from Ghana, how much of your writing has been preoccupied with Africa? If you've been writing a good deal about Africa, have you found yourself focusing on certain places, themes, or images?

Ironically, I have not written a great deal of poems about Africa. It may seem cliché, but I am still trying to locate the words that aptly express how I feel. There is definitely a “sense of Africa” in my latest poems, but seven months later I am still processing my experiences and memories of Ghana.

Contact Van/Fui:

vanggarrett(at)gmail.com

playing in the atlantic - Van G. Garrett/Fui Koshi

i renamed the ocean aya:
her indomitable spirit moved me
as she resounded in my ears
like chants bouncing on the coast
where those with and without my okra name
progressed in my likeness and greeted me
dashing       gifts       smiles       handshakes
as if we have walked africa’s paths together before


The photo, "Coasting", is © 2008 Van G. Garrett.