By Glory Ekwenuya

Looking at the contemporary issues in our society, one will discover that many live their lives without acknowledging the giver of life, appreciating life itself or even knowing how to live a fulfilled life. This situation has given many inspirational writers a great concern. It was as a result of this situation that a young and determined Nigerian poet, Dr.Chukwunyere S.D.Chukwu came out with a new book titled, Songs of miracles.

Songs of Miracles; Chukwunyere S.D.Chukwu; Nobeldiv Limited, Okota, Lagos;2014;PP.73

The 73 page book published by Nobeldiv Limited, Okota, Lagos which is a collection of poems address some of the issues of the present age. The poems, according to the author were written out of passion to eradicate societal ills.

In the poems, the young poet bares his mind on such themes of politics, bad leadership, religion, poverty and love and others that are always searching for the truth about humanity and reflect also on the contemporary issues in the society to drive ahome his points.

Chukwu, who is also a playwright and Novelist, in the loose ryhthm of free verse makes his poems economical like the old ballard, simple on the surface but profond. It is a collection of 73 poems that are spiritually inclined. One special feature of the book is that at the end of each poem is a bible verse that add meaning to the poem.

Some of the poems, includes: My choice, To whom Honour is Due, Imagination, The limits of Religion, Show me a perfect Man, God is Real, A child is a Great Gift, God’s Nature, Don’t Fret, The word, Spiritual corruption, The value of Prayer, Loved by God, Each Day is a Gift, and many others .

This collection of poems is full of fire, passion and striking expression. They give the reader a sense of pleasure, wonder, exultation, so electrifying and so moving that we know at once that our lives are touched, this is the feeling one gets from reading this collection.

The poet, in his choice of word, used inspirational and impactful rhythms to make his readership know more about life and God. In chapter 16, rhythm like “A new day is a gift that should remind you, that you are very important to God. If men knew the value of a new day,they would treasure everyday, as a special gift to us, from God.

Living life without the giver of life is useless. Chukwu urges we humans to place God who gives life above all things, by so doing making him our priority not an alternative. The author, clearly pointed out that no one is perfect. We all strive for perfection,we grow by overcoming challenges, we gain experience by correcting our mistakes, we grow when we learn, by so doing we become better by the day.

With the use of impressive poetic style, simple language for easy understanding, I therefore recommend the book to all. However, I suggest that the poet  learns to link the title of the book to the content.