They say the best things come in threes. For instance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. As a consequence, God is often referred to as a trio. However, sometimes the best things come in more or less than threes. That is the case with Matsiko Godwin Muhwezi’s latest poetry offering, ‘A Green Room Pentateuch ‘poems. ‘ It is five books in one. To be sure, this 539-page volume is five poetry collections in one. It is quite a feat. I have not seen any other Ugandan poet doing this. So we hope Mr. Matsiko’s collection turns the saying ‘the best things come in threes’ into ‘the best things come in fives.’ That goes for Hi-Fives and basketball teams, too.
Indeed, Matsiko’s poetry collection has provoked sufficient attention to merit this distinction. But not so fast. Poetry collections do not rely on popular attention to be said to have artistic value. The whole idea of poetry books setting a new standard based solely on their wide appeal is antithetical to their actual worth.
Poetry collections rise and fall due to how the author best manipulates the language to frame the picture s/he’s trying to paint. After all, poetry is a niche genre which gathers the high-minded around notions that art is peculiar and that is precisely what makes it different. It is for this very reason that poetry’s presumed mass appeal would be described as kitschy instead of being expressive of a new, desirable norm.
Beyond what must sound like my rambling, there is the actual collection itself and the value it holds in and of itself. Let’s look at this value. A Green Room Pentateuch is a compilation of five volumes of poetry. These volumes create an introspective escape into free-flowing streams of consciousness and intense explorations of existential inquiry. Book one, ‘Wish Me Well,’ is a collection of straightforward biographical verse. Book two, ‘A Thing of Legend,’ explores the life of work—the good, the bad, and the very bad. Book three, ‘Melodrama,’ dives into the throes of existential angst, while book four, ‘Subliminal Fear,’ rides the waves of anticipation and anxiety. Book five, ‘Parchments,’ offers a resolution with light reminiscing on the hopes and dreams that could still be. The lessons to be harnessed, and the milestones to be preserved. Essentially, this ambitious piece of literature is a gem for anyone keen on a deep dive into the turmoil of the psyche, the crevices of inner monologue, and optimism. Here, take a peek at the poem, ‘Kinsland’:
‘Where are they?
Your loyal gentry
From the golf club
From the estate
With its lush villas.
Where are they?
Your fellow CEOs
Your fellow professors
Who frowned at us
Behind snobbish rims.’
These are the first two stanzas of the poem. Mr. Matsiko’s signature writing style is to take the reader along a path of shared meaning before presenting a twist or irony. Many of his poems have often gone on in similar fashion.
The poem opens with a Socratic question, posed by the persona or speaker. The question is of a piece with mores and values the world over. It is through questions, like the ones contained in the stanzas above, that we answer unasked questions. Although there are never easy answers; we ask again: Where are they?
Well, the short answer is that ‘they’ are in this poetry collection. They show up with even more musings than before.
Answers to such musings redound to a dialectal tradition in which the questions are of more importance than the answers. That’s because there are as many answers to questions posed as there are persons who ask them. However, especially when it comes to life and living, questions posed are best answered by those whose issues they address. At this stage, the questions go from Socratic to Rhetorical (in the second stanza) as versions of the truth compete for attention in this version of the truth.In essence, this is the substance of what Matsiko’s poetry is about: searching for instead of answering questions which contend with our every effort to live better lives. It is only through this search that we discover how life is a journey, not a destination. So the questions are more important than the answers.
On page 413 of this tome, if you like, is the poem whose title underlines questions asked and answers offered: Name of the Game.
I know. It sounds like the title of an ABBA song. But the name of every game is expressive not only of those who play it and the rules by which the game is shaped. There is also the spirit behind the letter of every word that amplifies the affinity with which we face the game (life). Take a look:
‘He fills his purse
With hundred dollar bills
Slides into buttons
Of his Sunday best
She gives him a peck
Scent and tingles
She slides into a couch
And picks up a menu
It is a lovely affair
For butlers and chefs
Flipping gourmets
For finger-licking tips,’ writes the author in the first three stanzas of the poem pithily and aptly titled: Name of the game. At first glance, one might think this poem is about relationships and how they play out in what is termed as the name of the game. However, thanks to these stanzas, you can already see Matsiko’s trademark penchant for irony beginning to unfurl. By the time the poem is over, we know neither the name of the game nor the names of its players. Still, we have something as valuable where the author employs adjective (lovely) as a bridge word to connect the poem’s sentiment to widely-held values which animate the so-called game.
It is Matsiko’s technical feel for verbs, adjectives, adverbs and gerunds throughout this landmark collection that is his poetry’s saving grace. As his expressions lend meaning to the words he shares, we discover that the right words used at the right time often provide right answers.