Takudzwa Goniwa05/16/2021
This is the other half of the two-part book review of Pen Still Inking by Xitha Makgeta and Philani Nyoni. Palesa-Entle Pulse Makua first shared her thoughts on Xitha’s poems in the chapbook that’s accompanied by Phethego Kgomo’s illustrations. The baton is now with Zimbabwean based poet Takudzwa Goniwa who on this article, reviews Philani’s body of work in Pen Still Inking.
Anyone familiar with Philani Nyonis work will know he enjoys towing the line. His wordplay and choice of content often border on indecent, but never enough to completely alienate you from diving into his work.
Case in point would be the first poem I perused through in the chapbook Sonnet on the crapper. The crude title shocked me. As one does not often see those two words together in the same sentence.
But one should not judge a book by its cover or a poem by its title as it is anything but crude. He then proceeds to lay down his technique that makes one forget their momentary flare of righteous indignation at the onset.
I quickly learnt that it was the poems with the seemingly harmless titles Number 1 that pushed my delicate sensibilities to the limit. But the use of punctuation to create the lovely phonetics the poem produces when read aloud make you forget the content for a second. I must admit, this is what makes his work such a joy to read.
While his content may not be everyone’s cup of tea, no one can deny that his grasp of technique and usage of literary devices is stunning.
The illustrations done by Phethego Kgomo compliment his poetry well. Painting a slightly morbid atmosphere which creates a fitting background to the various poems in the chapbook.
Palesa-entle Pulse Makua
