Review of I am Memory by Jumoke Verissimo

Jumoke writes with a sense that makes a person value moments so deep to ensure that time or death will not have the power to erase the memories created. Her poems unwrap the wounds of history that time has refused to heal. Her poetry is a version of events and she seems to have owned every bit of it. 

TITLE: I am memory
AUTHOR: Jumoke Verissimo
GENRE: Poetry
NUMBER OF PAGES: 66
PUBLISHER: Design and Dream Arts Enterprises
DATE OF PUBLICATION: November 8, 2008
ISBN: 978-9780880651

I am memory by Jumoke Verissimo is a very well penned book. I first saw this book on a list of 'top ten Nigerian poetry books to read." Upon receiving the hard copy of the book, in my judgment towards its petit size, I was curious to know why it was on that list. When I read the content on the back cover of this piece and saw Odia Ofeimun's comment (author of the poet lied), I knew that it just had to be one heaven of a good book.

In the first 16 pages, she displayed the mass affection of a helpless romantic - so submissive to love that rehab cannot save this one. With her description of seduction, love and romance, I really wished that Ajani (one special character in that section) was real. Her love for him was well versed and they painted good imageries.

All her poems are entwined with this thing called memory and its power to remain alive with its full colors reuniting yesterdays and todays. In the other pages, she scribbled the history of Nigeria and some of the prominently influential leaders, whose works and life span have been trapped in the webs of death and memories.

Jumoke writes with a sense that makes a person value moments so deep to ensure that time or death will not have the power to erase the memories created. Her poems unwrap the wounds of history that time has refused to heal. Her poetry is a version of events and she seems to have owned every bit of it. It deserves to be on the top ten Nigerian poetry books to read and I definitely recommend it to many writers. My best part of this masterpiece were the first 16 pages, I wish that section never ended.

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