Treasuring Poetry – Meet poet and novelist, Jude Itakali, and a review

Posted: March 20, 2024 | Author: robbiesinspiration | Filed under: Uncategorized | 43 Comments

Welcome to fabulous poet and novelist, Jude Itakali. As a fellow African, Jude is from Uganda, I always feel we have a lot in common and that our love of this continent, its wildlife, and its people, shows through in our writing. Welcome Jude.

What is your favourite style of poetry to read?

It’s so difficult to choose. I love different forms for different reasons and employ them depending on the purpose.

However, if I had to choose one, I’d go with “haibun”. The transition from vivid verbiage and concise prose, to a juxtaposed haiku which most often provides the ‘wow’ moment, really hits the spot for me. So yeah, haibun it is.

What is your favourite poem in your favourite style to read?

It’s near impossible to pick a favourite as I read poetry in a cocktail of forms and never really remember which haibun or sonnet was my favourite. But I’ll include two haibuns that I read recently that really got me:

Susan B. Auld

 Directed by reception I wait. But not in the same room where I once sat with other pregnant women, where we spoke soft conversations, smiled in recognition, crocheted pastel blankets, read parenting magazines, made lists of things to buy, to do. There is no baby now

winter rain

an empty nest

beneath the tree

Margaret Domaus

 His fingers – are what I can’t stop conjuring. Long and slender nails trim and clean, a baker’s hands lightly dusted with flour.
       snowbound     

 the underground pulse       

of hot springs

What is your favourite style of poetry to write? Why?

Another tough choice. Ask me on a different day and I’ll likely have a different answer. But Afro now, I’ll go with ‘etheree’. I love its descending/ascending order of syllables depending on whether to write a reverse etheree or not. This is because writing in this form enables me to expand my musing upon a single word or simple thought, or else to comprehend complex musings and reduce them to a particular word or single thought.

What is your favourite of your own poems in your favourite style?

My favourite amongst the haibun I’ve written is the most difficult question I have to answer here. It’s impossible to choose amongst my babies. I write all of them with so much emotion. Because of this, I’ll simply pick the most recent haibun from my blog. It’s a little bit longer than a single paragraph and haiku, so I’ll include the link instead:

World of the fae #haibun poetry

How do you promote your poetry and poetry books?

Not very well I’m afraid. Promotion is a work in progress. For now, I write for my blog, twitter, and do creative reels on my Instagram. I’m still trying to figure out the self-promotion thing, so any help is absolutely welcome.

Thank you so much for listening to me mumbling.

My review of Jude’s latest book, Dark Butterflies: Poetry and short stories of mental health

Dark Butterflies is a deep and compelling exploration of the darker side of life. Itakali uses poems and short stories to expose the mental health issues that lie hidden under the shiny surface of societies. Some of the poems and short prose pieces interspersed with syllabic poetry, are told from two or even multiple points of view and experiences, which I really liked. One of my favourite prose pieces is A Tale of Two Beauties which is truly heart warming.

A few of the themes explored in this book, with a relevant quote, are as follows:

Child abuse – ‘You carry the mark of a black kiss,
A bruise etched into your every wish’ from Child fleeing light

Loss of hope – ‘All wonder diminishes in their reflection
The light that once sparked is gone’ from Unseen

Split personalities – ‘By day she is Anne
By night she is Liz’ from Split

Drug abuse – ‘Syringe on the cracked floor
Pills to numb the stench of failure’ from Dark themes we do not see

Loneliness – ‘In the dark hour before dawn, I scale the precipice
Of loneliness. If only for a glimpse of a dream.’

Each of the harrowing mental illnesses or seemingly inescapable circumstances, is handled with compassion and understanding by the poet.

This is a beautiful collection that opens the reader’s eyes to the places in life where the shadows have ownership and trauma is the dwellers daily companion.

You can purchase Dark Butterflies from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Butterflies-Poetry-stories-mental-ebook/dp/B0CJ54YLST

Jude also has another poetry book and two novels in the Realms of the Mist series. You can find all of Jude’s books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jude-Itakali/author/B093BJSYTB

About Jude Itakali

Jude Itakali is a poet, writer and fiction author from the suburbs of Kampala, Uganda.

Itakali never liked sharing his books as a child. That has changed, especially since he started writing his own.

A lifelong obsession with ‘the good story’ evoked his personal phrase, “Reality is all around us, but fantasy is a part of us.” Egged on by a conniving appetite to consume works across genres, Itakali crafts the compelling themes and rounded characters in his books.

When not ‘life-ing’ or pursuing infrequent exercise routines, you can find Itakali writing fiction in a small cubicle, or under a tree, furnishing his website, Tales told different, with life epiphanies, ponderous prose, and poetry.

About Robbie Cheadle

Award-winning, bestselling author, Robbie Cheadle, has published fourteen children’s books and three poetry books. Her work also features in several poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

The eleven Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.

Robbie and Michael Cheadle have recently launched a new series of children’s books called Southern African Safari Adventures. The first book, Neema the Misfit Giraffe is now available from Amazon.

Robbie’s blog includes recipes, fondant and cake artwork, poetry, and book reviews. https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

---

Treasuring Poetry, 2024: Introducing the poetry of DL Mullan and a review #poetry #poetrycommunity #TreasuringPoetry

Posted: January 17, 2024 | Author: robbiesinspiration | Filed under: Uncategorized | 53 Comments

Today, I am pleased to introduce the poetry of poet and author, DL Mullan, as well as my review of her poetry collection, The Descent.

Over to DL Mullan

Thank you for this opportunity to discuss poetry with your audience. I am grateful to share my love of the creative arts with fellow enthusiasts.

Poetry is a part of the writing craft that is an art and science with a touch of mysticism. It is much more than words on a page. It’s a feeling, a moment… a place engaged inside of our hearts and souls that cannot be duplicated on film or in prose. The science of meter and rhyme meet the art of turning a phrase or metaphor into a memory.

Still verses express an economy of words, which speaks volumes in the empty spaces. Poetry is about reading the content, but also extracting a personal meaning. Sometimes the poet gives the reader the context, and at other times, the reader grasps a connection with the words beyond the initial texture of the composition.

To illustrate, Transcendence, from my Impetus chapbook, is one of those poems that becomes both context and connection:

Transcendence by DL Mullan

I have this little place in me

that will always be alone.

No matter the circumstances

-the outside world,

or anything given to me-

it will forever be there.

It’s that part of me you can never touch.

Never be healed. Never feel redeemed.

A place so isolated from the rest of my life,

it keeps me hungry, destitute-

it’s a fragment that lacks belief.

Don’t try to heal me, or know this place;

this longing need keeps silent.

Without this solitary eclipse that creeps into my life,

I could never find any kind of peace.

This curse cuts me deep.

Penetrates my soul.

Reveals me. Liberates me.

The one place that keeps me from being whole

-is the one place you cannot reach.

Without this lone embrace,

my life, your love would be meaningless.

A poet has to be many ideas to many people: the fire bearer of unrivaled passion; the vocabulary of a priest, lover, and devil’s advocate; the heart of a broken soul; the perseverance of an honorable warrior; the spirit of a wise sorcerer.

People enjoy poetry, because the poet expresses what they wish to hear or say. Words reach through the ages. Consoles us. Enlightens us. Reminds us of our own vulnerabilities.

The Good Morrow by John Donne

I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I

Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?

But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?

Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den?

’Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be.

If ever any beauty I did see,

Which I desired, and got, ’twas but a dream of thee.

And now good-morrow to our waking souls,

Which watch not one another out of fear;

For love, all love of other sights controls,

And makes one little room an everywhere.

Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone,

Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown,

Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one.

My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,

And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;

Where can we find two better hemispheres,

Without sharp north, without declining west?

Whatever dies, was not mixed equally;

If our two loves be one, or, thou and I

Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die.

And makes one little room an everywhere… a poet conjures such repleteness and amplifies our innate impulses, if we only have the courage to be as one with another. Do you have the courage to live forever because of love?

This poem by John Donne, The Good Morrow, began my journey into the magical realm of writing poetry. Some may believe that Edgar Allan Poe was the genesis, but the classics generated the progression toward his writings. The Descent: a darker breed of poetry is my genre inspired chapbook. Upon Reading Edgar Allan Poe is in homage to him.

Poetry seemed daunting to write at first. In adolescence, I would rewrite song lyrics for friends. It was easy to complete someone else’s rhythm and rhyme, while my original creations remained in prose. In college is where I met John Donne, and other poets throughout the ages.

In this concise form of narration, I enjoy telling stories. I have embarked on writing short thematic chapbooks as well as publishing long form poems. Effloresce: Earth Changes is my Arizona inspired chapbook, which is under expansion. Eclipse: Cloaked by Totality is a compilation of poetry about how humanity views solar and lunar eclipses from science to legend. My Long Form Poetry like Galactic Ride, Undisclosed, and The Rain take the reader on a journey beyond the norm. This past summer I published a lyrical prose short story piece called The Jonah Collector, based on seafaring lore.

To pick a favorite poem that I have written is difficult. Each poem is my favorite in its own way. I write poems which speak a universal truth. When a poem hovers at that level of mysticism, what isn’t there to love? Either lyrical stanzas or descriptive verses, every poem holds a special place within me.

Here are a few examples:

The Flower Within by DL Mullan

Hear not the silence in the new fallen snow

embankments high of drifted wonder hide

all that winter buries underneath its surface

and cocoons itself in an invisible whisper

when temperatures rise, sounds of rustling begin

from the depths of a volitional quietus

small lives will break beyond their shells

as they ascend toward the sunlit heavens

and discover how to unleash their power

by finding the flower within.

Weather by DL Mullan

Bending.

            Resisting.

Opaque patterns web across the aging twilight.

Reflection meets citrine, ruby, sapphire–

Shapes stretch.

Reaching.

            Touching.

The placid breeze spreads unevenly. Cumulus formations emerge.

Imagination awakens.

Building.

            Sweeping.

Luminous wings expand. Gracious angel, show the world your glory.

Magnificence reigns.

Collapsing.

            Fading.

Overcast merges with night. Dreams condense. The rain soaked wind roars.

The future of my lyrical rhymes is to write poetry that matters. A poet should have an authentic voice that reaches across philosophical lines. In addition to topic-based chapbooks, I create my own forms of poetry, including cinquains. I experiment with structure and form, as well as rhyme. I am interested in the challenge of creating something new and unsaid.

I would like to leave readers with a poem that combines art and science with that hint of mysticism: 

Asymptote by DL Mullan

The line observed.

Its angles transparent,

Like the fanciful dream of a sliding geometry.

It’s the hint of curve that plagues me

of a slender and willful architecture.

It’s the acute optics that pitch me downward

into a maze of unrevealed canvas

unearthed and unexplained

and spreading into the heart of oblivion.

Thank you, DL Mullan, for this lovely discussion.

The Descent: a darker breed of poetry by DL Mullan

What Amazon says

This chapbook houses “a darker breed of poetry,” from paranormal research topics to metaphysical literary iterations. There is a poem for everyone who is curious about genre-inspired poetry. DL Mullan’s readers praise her work as easy to read, understand… and satisfying:

“The poem [Breathe] is as scrumptious and sensual as it is dark and deep.”

“This is a first for me. I have never read genre poetry before. I love it. Hugely imaginative and utterly unique…”

“As if Poe came right off the page. This homage is literally perfect.”  

“The language and flow here is superb, the description detailed. This also has an air of mystery, almost Halloween-ish.” 

“‘Until once again, night revisits his kingdom and he is resurrected.’ You know your subject. Are you reminiscing about an owl, or our immortal souls?” 

“Both the language (the word choices) and the rich imagery here is exquisite! You have blended sound, description, meaning- all, in a way that shows precise crafting.” 

“A lot of thought has gone into this very interesting poem, which made me think, which is what poetry should be all about, 5-star poem

My review

This collection of mysterious and slightly chilling poetry revolves around the topic of death in all it permutations: the process of dying, what it feels like to die or be dead, grievers and grieving, the afterlife, and spirits and the spirit world.

A most intriguing poem about reading Edgar Allan Poe and the influence of his works on the poet, kicks off this collection. As a fellow member of the Poe admiration club, I really enjoyed this poem and identified with the poet’s thoughts and reactions to all his magnificent poems. This is a short quote from ‘Upon Reading Edgar Allan Poe’:

“A peculiar doorway opens inside of me.
Listen to the music playing, hear the voice, of beautiful Lenore.
Sing to me a violent ballad of love.”

Another interesting introductory poem, is entitled ‘Death Replies to Emily Dickinson’, an extraordinary response to Emily Dickinson’s poem ‘Because I Could Not Stop for Death’. This inspirational poem is the perfect introduction to the poems that lie ahead in this collection. For me, this stanza sums up the collection:

“Instead, come. Join the procession into the unchartered
where rarely seen a setting sun and gloom is discarded.”

I really enjoyed this unusual collection of dark poetry. It is certainly unique and inspired. A few of my favourite poems from this book, with short quotes, are as follows:

The Rocking Chair:
“Dusty chair rocks. He used to sit there: in the corner looking out the window.”

Spirit Box (My favourite of all the poems):
“Four different voices sung through the waves.
Each expressing their own distinct individuality.”

Alone with My Thoughts:
“Death can be harsh. Death can be amusing.
Your perspective is needed to see that death is a rite of passage
that all of us will be using.”

If you enjoy Poe and like to experience different perspectives on poetry, this book will enthrall you.

Amazon US purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CKWKCNZ3

About DL Mullan

DL Mullan has been writing award-level poetry for thirty years. Recently, she has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan‘s creative writing is available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies.

As an independent publisher, she produces her own book cover designs and video presentations, as well as maintains her own websites. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet. 

Join her Undawntable Newsletter for everything Undawnted. Be sure to enroll in her Substack writing program, RhymeScribe, which focuses on the form and function of poetry. Become a YouTube subscriber for her Poetry Slam updates.

http://www.undawnted.com

http://www.undawnted.com/p/poetry.html http://www.undawnted.com/p/long-form-poetry.html

About Robbie Cheadle

Award-winning, bestselling author, Robbie Cheadle, has published fourteen children’s books and two poetry books. Her work also features in several poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

The eleven Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.

Robbie and Michael Cheadle have recently launched a new series of children’s books called Southern African Safari Adventures. The first book, Neema the Misfit Giraffe is now available from Amazon.

Robbie’s blog includes recipes, fondant and cake artwork, poetry, and book reviews. https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

You can find example of Robbie Cheadle’s artwork in her art gallery here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/art-gallery/

---