A song of endless flames

When Ben Okri said that poets are the barometers for measuring the overall health of society, perhaps he had these poets (Nosakhare and Karofi) in mind. With delightful language and assured voices as their paint and brush, these poets have created a mural containing gory images of contemporary Nigerian society. As in Picasso's Guernica, they have articulated in vivid colours, the emotions of grief, loss and bitterness. In A Song of Endless Flames, we see the duet manifesting as a confluence: double embers of flame, glowing, rising, hissing to all at once, burn and purify the soul of man and society. These poets are Fire and Brimstone, Lightning and Jolt.-Umar Abubakar Sidi is the author of The Poet of Dust.Karofi and Collins, in a song of endless flames remind us of the forgotten purity of the language of poetry and the aesthetics of metaphors, of imageries and wisdom, weaved in lush philosophical pontifications on the absurdist state of a nation in despair and "endless flames". Their entangled emotions incite us to ponder the rhetorics of our jarring humanity. They remind us of why we constantly return to the classical rendition of T. S Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and the metaphysical invocations of Christopher Okigbo's "The Passage". These bards are worthy heirs to the throne of poetry.-Paul Liam, is a poet, critic and editor with several critical essays on contemporary Nigerian literature to his name.A song of Endless flames attempts to paint mental picture of a burning republic, the sad but true picture of a nation dazzling in flame. Each line speaks fire that resonate with reader's emotion. i see in this collection not only lines of poetic beauty, but also a rich historical documentation. -Awodiya Funke, author of "Farmer's daughter" and "Woman of a woman"This is a collection of poems that paints images of our reality in the minds of the readers. Here is the story of citizens in a country chocked by insurgencies, uncertainties and a seemingly never ending rain of calamities; and yet trying to cling on to the last string of hope dangling before their eyes.-Naseeba Babale, Secretary, poetic Wednesday initiative. Columnist, Konya shamsrumi.Poems in this chapbook are songs from the patched lips of disillusioned patriots agonized by the pains of their beloved homeland. The tone of misery and despondency in high pitch are unmistakable in these verses that relish prophetic denouement.--Aminu S. Muhammad, Writer and Founder, The Arts-Muse Fair."The duo poets, whose allegoric music, otherwise politically relevant, present to us images of the transition of individuality, nation-space and history. Even relationship, time and uncertainty wasn't isolated from the intrigues of change. Usman and Nosakhare make sure that we appreciate the chance offered us to live together, no matter the letters of our journey."-Francis Annagu, Author, "Our Land in the Beak of Vultures"."Amid assertions and declarations, Karofi and Collins brush throug...