TITLE: Tiny Mercies

Author: Rotimi Osiyoye 

Publisher: OutofSight Hub, UK

Year: 2022

PAGINATION: 40

REVIEWER: Henry Akubuiro 

Tiny Mercies is a collection of 26 poems written by Rotimi Osiyoye. Divided into four sections, the poems dwell on life and living in Africa, relocation, spirituality and affection. They are the poet’s way of expressing his emotions while playing the devil’s advocate. 

Most of these poems appear as blank verses with concrete poetic sprinklings here and there, the mixtures representing shades of mental and social flux of a febrile mind and his society (ies). 

The heartbreak of losing a precious mother echoes in “Heartbreak”, as the voice fans up nostalgic memories of his childhood with a caring mother and how her good nature has rubbed off on his upbringing. 

The dystopian settings of an African country is revisited by the author in “Equity”, where rampant deaths have become a given. Still, jailbreak occurs often such that our prisons release undesirable elements —rapists, murderers and felons —into the streets. The poem also decries the destruction of the judiciary with bribery and police brutality on innocent youths.  

This has given rise to the rhetorical question: “… what do we do with these people —” politicians, thieves, terrorists —whose joy is tearing up our country and plating horrors for us to eat” (p. 5).

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In “To the Elders”, the bard offers prose poetry, a poem that asks many questions than it can answer. These interrogations border on the inability or otherwise of the word to solve human problems on its own. The poet hints us of angst and ennui and, at the same time, offers a certain hopeful illumination. The rhetorical question of “what are you doing, black man, in my country?” in the poem, “The Politician”, reminds us of a reverie cut short amid a silent indignation against a maverick, foreign politician. 

In the second section, which dwells on migration, the writer writes back to the motherland, drawing comparisons that make one go lacrimal at some points. “Deserving Blues”, for instance, portrays Lagos as a city of contrasting fortunes: “city of wayward Joy”, “where rats come to become lions”, “where rent is free for dead things”, etc. He acknowledges that Lagos is an accommodating city that mixes love, kindness and horror. 

In contrast, “Arrival on the Last Day of August” celebrates an important vista of discovering and finding joy in a new, foreign land. There is a sense of fulfillment for the student persona in this poem, who, together with his friends, leave their books aside to discover their new environment in this condensed but remarkable prose poem. 

The shortest poem in this collection can also be found in this section in the poem entitled “Migration”, a one-liner that is soul-searching on the japa phenomenon: “Was it the sun that said to the moon, join me; or was it the moon that threw open the door?” (p. 19). In “Réunion in Manchester,” the voice depicts adjusting to a life in a new environment with buddies, and how the weather affected them. 

Rotimi also experiments with pidgin poetry, like in “Ego Be,” where the speaker expresses a desire to make it in life:  “no wahala, no yawa/Dis lyf, we go big, / we go get money, we go chop.” 

The poet shows his deep relationship with God by acknowledging his preeminence in his life, while praying to Him to keep him in His fold forever: “do not take your hands off my life.” Though “A Few Signs” is an octave of eight lines, the poet’s deployment of ecliptic diction tells many stories in one, running a circus show of lionising nature. The poet continues to pay obeisance to the Most High in “Have Faith”, where he depicts Him as the reason we are existing in the world. 

In the last section, “Sex, Love, Kindness,” the poet leads us into a “Ritual” of love and sex between two hearts that melt for each other.  This is similar to “Morning”, where the voice weaves a sensuous tale of tangles. But, in “Not All Losses Are Bad”, the leitmotif of passion is dumbed down to embrace loss and resignation. 

The author, Rotimi Osiyoye, is a media and brand management expert who uses his experience to drive revenue and increase productivity. He has broad experience in Human Resource Management, Talent Sourcing, and Management and Public Service Relationship Management, with over 12 years of Brand and Talent Management within the government framework. 

Rotimi is presently working at training over 50 undergraduates on new media and content creation. He has produced over 80 contents and has published on YouTube and other social media platforms. 

Rotimi is also the author of a book entitled Digital Affection: New Frontiers for Relationships.