Wandering Feet on Pebbled Shores

by Godspower Oboido, Patricia Jabbeh Wesley (Foreword)

Oboido sings of and powerfully negotiates the Africa that is alive and strong alongside the new world where “the traveler washes his migrant feet / with the wetness of dawn” and where “the road has mouth like a boa.” This is a book filled with wisdom of a poet that fearlessly takes us by the hand into a world beyond the metaphor of home, opening us to new images that are African and yet not so African. Sometimes, in lyrical narrative, the poet juxtaposes western cities with African cities, challenging our image of Lagos, London, and New York, bringing us along his journey from the hills of Kisii into Nairobi, and then to the plains of Kitengela and back home to Nigeria, West Africa, because the poet is “bound by no birth cord.”

Patricia Jabbeh Wesley
author of When the Wanderers come Home

Genres: Poetry

100 pages, Paperback

Published August 18, 2017

Reviews

[Berry's Poetry Book Reviews]

His verses move with a rare grace. His word choices are supple – even sublime. The fault lines in Oboido’s work are hard to find, if they do appear they run thin and fast through “…tropical savannahs where rainforest trees…” are laden so thick with poetry they disappear.

Read the full review: https://berryherwithpoems.com/2020/03...

[Simran]

This is poetry in its finest form! Having read loads of modern poetry which is trending everywhere I can finally say that I have found a book worth recommending.

This book offers so much more than the regular three liner poetry. From personal experiences in Russia, New York London, to paying homage to his African culture and homeland, the poet takes you on a journey through his poetic wisdom on a plethora of topics from a voyager's eyes and brings you back home to Nairobi, through his verses.

Things that I loved about this book -

1. It's a book of poetry for the soul, with deeper meanings and connotations.
2. The author knows words and uses imagery to weave visceral poetry. Also, you discover new meaning whenever you re-read them.
3. Fresh voice! The poems are not at all repetitive or clitchéd in any sense.
4. Will evoke and make you feel a range of emotions, placing a mark in your heart.

As a parting gift, I give you my favorite poems from the book:

1 "After we said goodbye
I grieved and weaved verses
that captured the moment's gloom that foreshadowed
the void her absence would bring.

"Oh stop," she told me,
"No more Shakespeare"
Ah, to be or not to be. Lord what have I become
- Poet or a sentimental fool?

She walked through security
to answer the sunny call of South America
I returned to London's grey and gloom
and in misery attempted some more Shakespeare:
prosaic lines with sweet metaphor
like a bland English meal without spice. "



2. The Axe

When it entered
the forest

the trees trembled
and said:

"look! the
handle is one of us"

[Imani Agard]

This is one of the best anthologies I have read. His work is definitely comparable to the Great names in literature! Every time i revisit this book there are new discoveries. His work proves that he is definitely no amateur in writing. There is so much emotion throughout this book, so much of his heart and culture is shared. It is impossible to not emotionally connect with his experiences as you read. This book will make an excellent gift or coffee table book. I often give away my books once I'm done reading, but I choose to keep a few I deem as classics, and this one made the list! Must Read!

[Abolade Akintunde]

A poetry must have by an amazing poet. The detail of the poetry and the connection with the reader explains a life always on the road in search of great pasture, an explorer from Lagos to London to Newyork to Russia to Nairobi. It's impressive! The words are exquisitely well used. In short really Inspirational!

[Paddington Nana]

Oboido is a poet of dislocation and otherness with the uncanny ability to paint, with his words, images that are poignant, haunting and altogether soothing. His joy of language is evident. A writer to watch.

[Sierra Poindexter]

Being someone who has never been very big into poetry..I was very taken back from my love for this book. I could feel every twist and turn with the author. There are certain parts you want to cry and other times when you are laughing. The author does an amazing job of really painting a beautiful picture in my mind of his journey. I would highly recommend this book to people just beginning in reading poetry all the way up to advanced poets. Every time I read this book there is something new to discover.

[B Pastore]

Very insightful. To receive the full meaning of many of the poems - I felt like I needed to imagine myself walking in the author's shoes. :-) His words paint vivid pictures.
This book was a gift in a GoodReads giveaway. Since reading it - It has already been enjoyed by others and is being passed on into the community via a Little Free Library.

[Jerry Craven]

This is an outstanding collection of poetry by a newcomer, a young poet on the rise in American letters. I have read this book several times and gone back to it several more times to reread poems that continue to haunt me. A Nigerian by birth, Godspower Oboido no doubt speaks several languages, and he is a master of English. His ability to select exactly the right images and put them into the right words makes him a fine poet. He is an artist we will be hearing about for many years.