BLOOD TIES
I grew up in a hazy house –
there was always something foggy
smoking between my father’s burnt fingers.
For years, I watched a dimmed light,
light up another dimmed light.
There are things I wish I didn’t know:
the average lifespan of a cigarette
is three hundred and sixty seconds.
I know how the future crumbles into ash –
every lit stick on my father’s lips
was the cremation of our dreams.
I know addiction is puffing death into your body,
and daring it to invoke its worse.
I have tinged doubts about science
years ago, I checked the lifespan of a chronic smoker –
and against the odds he is still here –
still here but shockingly leaving soon.
Nothing prepares you for death,
not even when you see it coming.
At the hospital,
the doctor says he should put his house in order,
and for the first time, I saw the vapour
that evaporated rain down my father’s eyes.
Halfway home, I asked to use the restroom
at the mall and returned smelling like my dad.
We locked eyes, said nothing,
because death leaves us all speechless.
Analysis/ Review of the poem.
Let look into the analysis of the poem.
Abu Ibrahim (IB) is a published Nigerian poet who has won different poetry prize. The theme of his poem centers on addiction (specifically on smoking) which him and his father were victim of. This is a narrative poem with no rhyme scheme written in prose form. The language and tone of the poet was sorrowful and filled with agony. One thing I love the most of this poem is that it stated reality, which is the truth we faced in our day to day activities.
The poet passes a powerful message to the youth on the danger of smoking. Using his upbringing as youth and his background as a case study of effects of smoking on ones health which affected his Dad. Smoking is a thing the poet that he never wish to know. Showing a sense of regret and shame because smoking is one of the ways people kill themselves for pleasure especially the youth. That's why, in stanze five, the poet stated “I know addiction is puffing death into your body”. Using his dad health case to show the implications of smoke addiction which the poet himself is also an addict. The moral lesson of this poem is to sanitizer the people especially the youth from smoking or drug abuse, because of medical implications. Every chronic smoker is reliable to die young or early. It shorten ones life span.
In stanze seven and eight talked about how the doctor told his dad about how he will die soon (because of his chronic smoking), that he should go home, to say goodbye. The sadden sad news broken the poet and his dad down, showing moment of tension and leaving them speechless as this is Nemesis of their action (smoking). The same plague will be befall the young poet if he don't step away from what was about to kill his dad. The poet ended the poem with sonkuch tension and fear that leave the audience anxious, teaching the youths “do not smoke”.
and to the ones that are already smoking; “stop smoking”
and to the ones that are already smoking; “stop smoking”
Poetic Devices.
Repetition: the phrase “Dimmed light” was repeated twice in stanze two of the poem.
Personification: it was used at the last line of the poem. It stated “...because death leaves us all speechless.”
Idioms: it was used in stanze eight “the doctor says he should put his house in order” meaning preparing to say goodbye or farewell to your love ones.
Simile: using the word like to compare himself and his dad. “I asked to use the restroom, at the mall and returned smelling like my dad”
Repetition: the phrase “Dimmed light” was repeated twice in stanze two of the poem.
Personification: it was used at the last line of the poem. It stated “...because death leaves us all speechless.”
Idioms: it was used in stanze eight “the doctor says he should put his house in order” meaning preparing to say goodbye or farewell to your love ones.
Simile: using the word like to compare himself and his dad. “I asked to use the restroom, at the mall and returned smelling like my dad”