tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555516329392912719.post3334011013443020888..comments2008-03-26T17:17:42.081ZRob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06507320627534702508noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555516329392912719.post-69287166177668311202008-03-26T17:17:00.000Z2008-03-26T17:17:00.000ZFree Publishing at www.i-proclaim.com Check it out, guysPrince Mensahwww.freewebs.com/pryncemensahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555516329392912719.post-78241569275767078562008-03-23T01:30:00.000Z2008-03-23T01:30:00.000ZI can see how "a pen without ink" is a source of frustration, especially for the writer; great poem, rich with accessible images, very reader-friendly.Oh,it is a message of hope too, daring, promising. If there are pens without ink, let's not even start to imagine writers without (What do you call it?)resolve, or persistence.Emmanuel Sigaukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04171063918198721862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555516329392912719.post-52836221348017421582008-03-23T01:27:00.000Z2008-03-23T01:27:00.000ZThis is a great poem about rapists and people with zero priorities. I love when he states in the poem that<BR/>"It lies on a mat and craves for women<BR/>But it is nothing but a fool<BR/>It is a human, but it deserves to be categorized amongst lower animals<BR/>It is certainly not a higher mammal"<BR/>Yes, laziness and crime are twins, birthed from the womb of anarchy. Julian manages to align two significant African images, the mat and the woman, as points to expose the ambiguity of appearance.<BR/>The mat symbolizes deserved rest after a hard day's work. The woman symbolizes the promise of the future. <BR/>From an African perspective, the comfort of a mat and the love of a woman are benefits of a respectable and productive life. It is therefore the force of irony that Julian employs and it is effective. <BR/>Confused perception about the sexuality of the African is tackled headlong in the following lines.<BR/>"It swirls its ugly waist and propagates evil against mankind<BR/>It has no kind word for the progressive man<BR/>It tries to write but fails"<BR/>In an attempt not to sound as a sanctimonious moralist, I believe that illicit sex in our society certainly 'has no kind word for the progressive man'. Ancient perceptions about sex have pervaded in our countries. Check the Crime & Punishment section on www.ghanaweb.com. <BR/>'Biggest Fool" is a paranomic take on root causes of our social ills. I appreciate Julian's tackling of this issue.Prince Mensahwww.freewebs.com/pryncemensahnoreply@blogger.com