An Anthology of Enigmatic Poems with Questions.

ENTANGLED

JOHN ADEH
ENTANGLED
(An Anthology Of Enigmatic Poems With Questions)

by

JOHN ADEH
John Adeh

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in
a database or retrieval system, without the prior written
permission of the publisher.

Copyright © 2024 by John Adeh Publisher.

[email protected]
 Entangled

DEDICATION

To the One who created all

And made me a creator;
To the ones who ported me to life
And fathers and mothers me;
To the one who reads with heart
And the ones who live by the art
To the ones who bleed ink
Down the quill feathers to scrolls
To the ones whose art beats
And water the ears of their muse’s wits
To the ones who helped inflate
The balloon of this work to float.

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John Adeh

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I thank God and His grace indwelling; I appreciate all

reviewers and contributors. I recognise the essence of all
that will read this book or gift the ones that will.

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FOREWORD

Every anthology carries a presence—a presence so

powerful readers are drawn even against their will.
Ironically, this presence may not be in any published
poems. Sounds extraordinary, isn’t it?

This collection is a testament to the above assertion. John

Adeh, in his debut chapbook, welcomes the readers into
his world of entangled pieces. Each poem is wired so
that the readers easily carry its presence—a presence so
complex you allow it to stay with you for a moment before
you proceed to the next.

As Yorùbá people often say, “If one’s eyes are patient

enough, they will see the nose.” The same applies to these
poems. If you carefully dissect each word and line, the
rest is easy-peasy. John’s soft usage of puns, wordplays,
alliteration, and other figure of speech add to the
chapbook’s uniqueness, complexity, and finesse.

The ten poems take the shape of different themes. They

revolve around childhood experience, love, living, and
death, to mention a few. My favourite poems are “A
Freebie” and “Plan B.” Perhaps because of the former’s
simplicity and the latter’s show of my name, perhaps
because they share a similar theme. Who knows?

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John Adeh

Beyond the simply complicated poems lies the questions-

and-answers segment that ushers the lines’ conundrums
into a spotlight of meanings. At this point, I must commend
John’s reviewers for their deftness and attention to detail
in breaking the poems’ hard nuts.

John Adeh has offered the world its first offering, and I
cannot wait to see the next magic he will create.

Take a gentle walk through the lines of this fine poetry,

and let its presence stay with you for more than a moment.

Yours in words,

Funminiyi Akinrinade
Chief Editor, PoeticAfrica

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CONTENT
Dedication iii
Acknowledgment iv
Foreword v
Content vii
Introduction viii
Poems and Questions 1
Bassinet? 2
Spotlight 4
A walk 6
A Freebie 8
Under Arrest 10
Which? 12
Fifty-Fifty 14
Plan B 16
Watched 18
Avec Mon Stylo, I’m Tired 20
Analysis and Answers 22
Bassinet? 23
Spotlight 24
A walk 26
A Freebie 28
Under Arrest 30
Which? 32
Fifty-Fifty 34
Plan B 36
Watched 39
Analysts’ Bio 42
Feedback 48
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INTRODUCTION

Entangled, as it is, is my first book (an anthology to be

precise) to be published and I have decided to make it
and the upcoming ones free. Aside from ensuring the
continuous existence of poetry, my intention, publishing
this, is to let everyone who writes poems know that they
need to put their works out there, embrace criticism and
get better at it. If the likes of William Shakespeare, Emily
Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Edgar Allen Poe and many
others kept their poems inside their lockers, they wouldn’t
be known or celebrated today.

This is why Entangled is the baby steps that will lead to

giant strides in no time. Entangled and the ones to come
after it are for specific purposes: to educate, to inspire, to
sharpen the understanding of poetry and to water that
seed of poetry in everyone through motivation.
Entangled consists of poems of different themes, questions
on them, analysis of these same poems by skillful writers
and poets and answers to the questions on these poems by
the analysts. Included with these is a single poem that is
written for interested readers to analyse and give answers
to the questions extracted from it. An email is provided
for the submission of this analysis and answers from you,
the reader.

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Another thing to note is the uniqueness of poetry which

makes it possible to have more than one interpretation
for a single poem. Isn’t it all about perception, experience
and exposure? With this said, the analysis included in this
book are meant to give readers an idea of what the poems
can be interpreted into and are not necessarily the only
interpretations there are. And as some answers are the
right and only answers, some are subjected to the reader’s
discretion and understanding of the poem. Hence, your
interpretation of any poem in this anthology will be
acceptable and shouldn’t always be assumed to be wrong
by you.

Entangled was written in a way it can serve several age

brackets, especially from senior secondary school level. It
can be used in schools, by individuals and groups for better
understanding of poetry and its complex simplicities.

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POEMS AND
QUESTIONS

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BASSINET?

“Stay and Watch,” Ma yelled.

A rock back, forth, right and he left.
Back and forth he sought.
“Wheels! No stills,” he shouted.
On his feet, he did the fitting.
Ma’s back, where’s Mark?
Will wheeled Ma’s Mark.
“Will, what’s with wheels?”
No stills, no rocking, We push.
Now trolley, baby trolley.

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QUESTIONS

1. Could you decode the poem at your first read?

2. The first two lines introduce two different characters.
Name them and suggest their relationship.
3. Line 4 has an internal rhyme. Identify the words.
4. Lines 4 and 5 suggest what?
5. Line 6 introduces another character or perhaps the
name of the first. What do you think?
6. Lines 7 and 8 repeat the occurrence in line 4. What
could you decode from this?
7. The last two lines can now be related to the title of the
poem. Explain.
8. How many characters in all do we have in this poem?
9. What’s the relationship between the characters?
10. Identify another potential title for the poem in the last
lines.

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SPOTLIGHT

Light’s beautiful like the moon

that’s cherished on gloomy nights.
Though it’s sun’s gleaming glare
and a picturesque in sun’s paints,
The glory rests on the shower
and not on the floods of light.

A spotlight I can be for moments—

such revealing in concealment
like ultrasounds of glowing glories;
A platform to lift feet into feasts or
a dark background for a diamond,
whichever I be, spots not my sport.

But like a faulty torch I’ll flicker;

Like an eclipse I’ll use a dark veil;
Like expired drugs, I’ll lose potency,
reveal my importance in shades,
and relent in being some spotlight
that reveals but is not revealed.

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John Adeh

QUESTIONS

1. Explain the relationship between the sun and the moon

as painted and illustrated by the writer in stanza 1.
2. “The glory rests on the shower
And not on the floods of light.”
What does the writer mean by these lines?
3. What contrast is highlighted by the first and the fifth
lines in stanza 1?
4. What figure(s) of speech is/are used in the first two
lines of stanza 2?
5. What’s the writer’s final decision in being a spotlight?
Back your answers up with the lines suggesting them.
6. What’s the writer’s final opinion on spotlights?
7. Explain the allegory behind the spotlight in this poem.
8. What senses are appealed to in this poem under
imagery?
9. What figure(s) of speech is/are dominant in this
poem?
10. “Whichever I be, spots not my sport.”
What does this writer mean by this line?

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A WALK

He rose into the floral world

like the phallic wee thingy
causing the effect of enuresis
on nasal cavities of households
after every sound night’s rest.

He sprang off his stuffed bed

as of a one escaping a thing
and made a lethargic walk
out of his luminous lair
with a smile and motive.

Into the doorway, then the yard,

where umpteen flowers lay
in grandeur and glamour;
Juvenescence whispered,
“It’s time to walk and romp.”

There be some fairies so eerie

converging around the lad
like iron filings to a magnet;
The saturation was of mirth
for it was the callant’s birthday.

Into the mist of the oneiric fête

came a sudden grab and pull,
and like a blanket, all folded
at his mater’s touch and words,
“This your annual dreamy walk!”

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John Adeh

QUESTIONS

1. How would you say the writer starts the poem?

Would you categorise it as strong, moderate or soft?
2. The first stanza spells manly. What are the words to
justify this?
3. What genre of creative fictional writing does the first
stanza present? (Check the eighth question)
4. List the comparisons made in stanza one and state
them and the words they represent.
5. Describe the setting stanza one describes.
6. What does “...and made a lethargic walk” in the second
stanza say of the character in the poem?
7. The first couple of lines in stanza three connect with
which of the previous lines before it?
8. Stanza 4 answers the third question above. What word
in Stanza 4 justifies this?
9. What figure of speech can line 3, stanza 4 fall under?
10. The scene painted later is of a feast/party. List the
lines that justify this.
11. The third line of the last stanza is very important to
the whole understanding of the poem. Why?
12. In total, how many real characters are in the poem?
13. The last line suggests a word for the whole event. If
you were to rename this poem in such a way the title
would say it all, what would your title be?
14. What can you call this kind of poem considering the
various types there are?
15. In a sentence, summarise the whole event.

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A FREEBIE

One man, all men,

the rich and poor;
Into this earth—
supermarket—
gets a freebie
at last purchase
of oxygen
and that is death.

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John Adeh

QUESTIONS

1. The lines look metred. What’s the metre?

2. What figure of speech comes up in lines 3 and 4?
3. What is said to be sold in this supermarket?
4. What’s the mood of this poem?
5. What awareness is this poem creating?
6. Is death really a freebie? Your opinion.
7. In three words, summarise this poem.
8. What title would you have given this poem?

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 Entangled

UNDER ARREST

After much thorough investigation,

the discovery of a fingerprint
made by your beauty made you.
For it was discovered to touch my heart.

Your smile struck and thrust me through

and your warm embrace set me on fire,
which the firefighters couldn’t put out,
until I was totally consumed by your love.

Therefore you have no right to remain silent,

because as I propose to you right here,
I’d love you to say nothing but ‘yes’ so it
won’t be used against you in the court of love.

You have the right to a heart-honey,

and if you can’t afford one, milady,
one will be assigned to you by me,
so dear-fore, you are under love’s arrest.

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John Adeh

QUESTIONS

1. What’s the mood of this poem?

2. What’s the theme?
3. Suggest the gender of the voice speaking in this poem.
4. What figure of speech is the entirety of stanza 2
suggesting?
5. “The discovery of a fingerprint
made by your beauty, made you.”
What figure of speech is this?
6. Is there a rhyme pattern in this poem?
7. Two words in the fourth stanza are coined. Fish them
out and write out the words they are impersonating.

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WHICH?

She laughs heartily at meets,

she feeds well, yet totters.
Is it the intense senescence,
the crush of umpteen years
or that of the unknown that begets
the squeeze on her phiznomy?
She’s a bow ready to doff living.

Is it the sleep privation,

the junky jolly jumbly jaunts
done at awkly hours of gloom,
or the sanguine spout slurping
that turns her into a cranky crone?
Who knows which craft to gain
to solve this hag’s frame’s cause?

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John Adeh

QUESTIONS

1. Explain the conflict projected by the first stanza.

2. What about the character is obvious in the first stanza?
3. “Intense senescence”, “Umpteen years”, and “the squeeze”
all suggest a stage of life which is?
4. Two figures of speech are embedded in the last line of
the first stanza. What are they?
5. Line 2 of stanza 2 has a figure of speech which is?
6. List the possible actions the first four lines of stanza 2
suggest.
7. What are the possible themes for this poem?
8. What do you think of the title of the poem in relation
to the lines of the poem?
9. List out the pun in this poem with the other word.
10. What particular question is the writer bothered about?
11. What gives rise to the confusion in this poem?

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FIFTY-FIFTY

The two-faced from a mint.

Perfect match with light wit;

One from a pit(ch) of shite.

He loafs around to eat

whatever comes to sight—
some lady now— sole mate.

In gossip, she’s perfect;

In other things, some git.
He’s head, she’s tail—a fit
up to bear some nitwit.

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John Adeh

QUESTIONS

1. What’s the rhyme pattern in this poem?

2. The title of the poem suggests “no difference”. Explain.
3. Is the poem metred?
4. As suggested by the first line, how many characters
are in this poem? What’s the relationship between
them?
5. What picture is painted of the male character?
6. What picture is painted of the female character?
7. Give a synonym for the following words: wit, git, fit,
nitwit, as used in the poem.
8. “He’s head, she’s tail—a fit
up to bear some nitwit.”
What is meant by this?
9. What mood does the poem bear?
10. What theme can this poem fall under?
11. There are two related words in the two lines of the
second stanza. State them.
12. If there are any morals in this poem, state them.
13. List out the figures of speech used in this poem and
the lines they are used.

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PLAN B

Just like every other day,

the sun forgot not to ray.
Everyone to the day’s work.
Billy’s got some rehearsal;
Fúnmi wanted other wares;
Harry had some interview.

All wanted to make some hay

before the day stops the play,
nescient that life likes to suck
up luck from sundry and all
like a flannel do to tears;
But life saved them all ado.

At nine, the second of May

when the hour was so grey;
Alack! Reaper did his work,
bagged Harry’s life before all.
Plan B came in unawares,
zilch but burial’s left to do.

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John Adeh

QUESTIONS

1. Write the rhyme pattern adopted in this poem.

2. How many characters are in this poem?
3. What’s the metre of this poem?
4. Who is the poem all about?
5. What’s the mood of this poem?
6. Under what theme does this poem fall?
7. What does the writer mean by the first two lines in
stanza two?
8. Who truly disrupts the plans of the people in this
poem?
9. What figure of speech is dominant in stanza 2?
10. In the poem, who actually went about his/her work
without a change of plan?

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WATCHED

She’s got a curve, lovely waist that shone;

Her gait, elegant strides spaced with grace,
sashaying in sync with his heartbeats.
What he saw befuddled and overwhelmed,
courtesy of his private eyes in her abode—
though illegal, his heart beat safety.

Like BBNaija, it got him glued to his PC—

the reality show of her daily deeds;
Her smooth birthday suit—smoky hot coal—
made him, like a bulldog, drool the sleek sight;
Obsession up his throat with a hook of curiosity;
Formating his knowledge of the big house.

Idleness at its peak—he barely slept;

A night watchman appearing on no payroll.
When she was out, he did his idle chores—
bathing and breakfasting in reminiscence.
He wasted months before the screen
until he got a terrific shocker of a lifetime.

As usual, she, lying in bed after a long shower,

drew near her 17” PC and started a video;
With the aid of his eyes, all was seen in HD.
Alas! On her screen was him 5 months back;
At one of his private eyes, she smiled and winked,
“We are all being watched,” she calmly said.

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John Adeh

QUESTIONS

1. How many characters are in this poem?

2. What gender are the characters?
3. In two or three sentences, summarise the poem.
4. Write out the exact words meant and the full meaning
of the abbreviations of the following words as used
by the writer in the context of the poem: private eyes,
birthday suit, big house, 17”, PC, HD.
5. Explain the phrase “smoky hot coal” as used in the
poem.
6. List the figures of speech used in this poem and the
sentences representing them.
7. What is the “shocker” the writer speaks about in this
poem?
8. What does the writer mean by the last line in the last
stanza?
9. Give five possible and befitting titles for this poem.
10. What genre of a poem does this poem pass for?

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AVEC MON STYLO,

I’M TIRED
Daily on the said path of greatness—
the colourful rank of excellence
in ink and letters—I daily shed blood and
blinked at the conquered struggles.

The battle line of discipline drawn

by tests and trials meet with the loss
of my dear Sleep, the groaning of her grace,
Tummy, and the hard labour of the Hand.

Say I quit and the guilt hit the hilt of

that ‘mightier than sword’ and sheets
flew around and landed before
mon père et ma mère. God help my ears!

Though the war is staying, my battle should end;

this land stinks of this dying best legacy
and all I’ve got are these nose masks
and some half-fueled rockets ready to strike.

Who’s left to hoist right the flag of the best legacy?

Who’s not brain-drained or pain-stained?
Who still thinks the land’s swords
aren’t mightier than her bleeding stylos?

- mon père et ma mère (Fr) = My dad and my mum

- avec mon stylo (Fr) = With my pen
- stylos (Fr) = Pens

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John Adeh

QUESTIONS

1. What do you think is the theme of this poem?

2. Stanza one talks of the writer’s struggle and depicts a
scene of what?
3. With stanza 2 comes some clarity to what the writer is
all about. Deduce.
4. What is mightier than the sword according to this
poem?
5. Stanza 3 is a highlight of a possible decision the writer
dreads to take. What is the decision?
6. “Though the war is staying, my battles should end;” What
battle is the writer talking about?
7. “…the land stinks of this dying best legacy…” What do
you think the writer refers to as the best legacy?
8. Who are the half-fueled rockets ready to strike as the
last line of the 4th stanza states?
9. What do you understand by the last sentence in the
last line of the 3rd stanza, “God help my ears!”?
10. What is the mood of this poem?
11. What tone can be attributed to this poem?
12. This poem clearly shows the writer is tired of
something. What do you think that thing is?
13. In your opinion, do you think this thing the writer
says to be mightier than a sword is still mightier?

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ANALYSIS AND
ANSWERS

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John Adeh

BASSINET?

(Analysis and answers by Taiwo Balogun.)

This poem revolves around the persona who is charged

to look after a toddler whilst the mother goes somewhere.
The persona had to do the fittings of the bassinet to wheel
the child. When the mom came back, she discovered that
the child was being wheeled and corrected the persona
that you don’t wheel but push the persona.
I, however, find the poem a bit humorous despite its
complex structure.

Answers
1. No.
2. Ma and Will. Most likely a mother-son relationship.
3. “Wheels” and “he”.
4. These lines suggest that the bassinet has no wheel for
movement, hence, the persona fixed the “tyres” of the
bassinet.
5. I think it introduced another character, Mark.
6. I think these lines show the improvement as the Ma
was surprised that the bassinet is wheeled.
7. The boy was probably tired of rocking the bassinet,
hence the wheels so he can push it instead.
8. Three.
9. Parent & children.
10. Baby Trolley.

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SPOTLIGHT

(Analysis and answers by Oladimeji Awogbemi.)

A beautiful description of light on a spot well connected

with different light sources and channels. The amount of
light registers used and their positioning are worthy of
applause.
The poet compares himself to the spotlight and by doing
so, exposes us to the merits and demerits of it. The
liveliness a spotlight brings to a spot, however, is short-
lived and the darkness crawls back as fast as the light.

Answers
1. The sun is described to shine beamingly while the
moon radiates its light adorably.
2. The source of the light takes the credit for the light
and not the lightning.
3. The aesthetic evaluation of light.
4. Enjambment and oxymoron.
5. He decides to rescind from being a spotlight.
(S3; L1 to L5): ...I’ll flicker; ...I’ll use a dark veil;
...I’ll lose potency; ...and relent in being some spotlight...
6. That it reveals while hidden.
7. The allegory is about the people that work behind
the scenes for the success of an achievement or some
events but aren’t recognised.
8. Sight and touch.
9. Simile.
10. Anyone he is does not tarnish his identity.

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John Adeh

(Analysis and answers by Esther Kalu.)

The poem first describes the beauty of ‘light’ and makes

a comparison with the sun and the moon. It further talks
about being the spotlight, but it ends with a tone that
says, “It ends before it even begins” because to be the
spotlight is not the writer’s thing. At the end of the poem,
the writer describes how he’d rather shine to be known.

Answers
1. The sun and the moon both illuminate. However, the
moon derives its light from the sun.
2. It simply means that the source of light is neglected or
not appreciated.
3. Light’s beauty and how it shines.
4. Metaphor and oxymoron.
5. The writer concluded that being the spotlight is not
something he is used to. He would rather shine as a
light in his way.
“But like a faulty torch, I’ll flicker” (S3, L1);
“Like an eclipse, I’ll use a dark veil” (S3, L2);
“Like expired drugs, I’ll lose potency (S3, L3).
6. That he would not bother to be the spotlight. In his
words, “and relent in being some spotlight that reveals but
is not revealed.”
7. Just like stunt doubles, some people do a lot behind
the scene but aren’t seen.
8. Sight.
9. Simile; metaphor.
10. The writer concludes that being the spotlight is
something he is not used to, nonetheless being or not
being a spotlight doesn’t define him.

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A WALK

(Analysis and answers by Helen Omono Akinboye.)

The poem analyses the experience of a young lad who

wets his bed and sleepwalks on his birthday. It tells of
his playful dream after wetting his bed in reality and
then sleepwalked out of his room until his mother woke
him up from his dream world back to reality. The poem
speaks of childhood experience, playfulness, recklessness
and carefree.
Some children find it difficult to stop wetting their bed
or sleepwalking even after they grow older. We see the
effect of this bed wetting on the household who suffers
the smell of the child’s urine.

Literary devices

a. Horticultural imagery: S1L1 (floral world); S3L3

(umpteen flowers).
b. Alliteration: S3L3 (grandeur and glamour); S2L4
(luminous lair).
c. Simile: S1L2 (like the phallic wee thingy); S2L2 (as of a one
escaping a thing); S4L3 (like iron filings to a magnet).
d. Personification: S3L4&L5 (Juvenescence whispered, “It’s
time to walk and romp”).

The poem has five stanzas of five lines each.

The poem uses free verse as there’s no end rhyme

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John Adeh

Answers
1. The writer starts the poem moderately, as it gradually
leads the reader to the child’s playful experience.
2. The use of the third person pronoun, ‘he’ and the
phrase ‘phallic wee thingy’.
3. Fantasy.
4. The comparison is between a boy and an erect penis
discharging urine unconsciously. This comparison
represents lack of self control.
5. Stanza one describes a small family home where the
action of one affects the other.
6. It says that the child sleepwalks, or that the child is
unaware of his environment or he’s just waking up
from sleep.
7. It connects with L1 in S1 “…floral world”.
8. Fairies.
9. Simile.
10. Stanza 4, Line 5: “...for it was the callant’s birthday.”
11. “and like a blanket, all folded”
This line suggests to the reader that the previous
account is just a dream.
12. Two.
13. Annual Dreamy Walk.
14. This poem is a free verse.
15. The poem depicts human experience between the
metaphysical world and reality.

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A FREEBIE

(Analysis and answers by Esther Kalu.)

Death, sometimes, can be scary and sensitive to delve

into, but it’s like a shadow we can not run away from.
The poem A Freebie captures the inevitable nature of
death. It simply emphasises how ‘man’, regardless of his
race, prejudice or status, would receive the gift of death.

Answers
1. Tetrameter.
2. Metaphor.
3. Oxygen.
4. Sad. Hard truth.
5. The poem propagates that death is no respecter of
persons. It doesn’t matter who you are; we’ll all have
a share of it.
6. ‘A freebie’ is something given without charge or cost,
which most likely is good. However, in as much as we
fear and reject death, it comes to man freely without
permission. It is certainly not a ‘freebie’ anyone would
accept with open arms but is inevitable.
7. Truth. Inevitable. Definite.
8. Death is a gift.

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John Adeh

(Analysis and answers done by Joy Atilola Oladipupo.)

This poem describes the essence of life . All men, both rich
and poor, were born and will also die. It describeds life
as a supermarket where everyone gets a freebie of death.
A freebie is a gift without cost which almost everyone
would be willing to take.
The language of the poem is straightforward.

Answers
1. Tetrametre.
2. Metaphor.
3. Oxygen.
4. Sad.
5. The fact that all men, whether rich or poor, will die.
6. Death is not a freebie because it is not good tidings, a
freebie is meant to be a good gift. But the fact remains,
whether we like it or not, it comes freely.
7. Vanity. Life’s ordeal.
8. The One For All.

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UNDER ARREST

(Analysis and answers by Taiwo Balogun.)

This poem revolves around a person who’s enthralled

and enamoured by the beauty of a lady and wishes that
the beautiful lady accedes to his proposal.

Answers
1. Hopeful. Romantic.
2. Love.
3. Male.
4. Personification.
5. Personification.
6. No, it’s a free verse.
7. Heart-honey - Attorney;
Dear-fore - Therefore.

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John Adeh

(Analysis and answers by Helen Omono Akinboye.)

The poem is a lover’s profession of his love. He is obsessed

with her love and is ready to tie the knot with her.

In stanza one, the poet expresses the beauty of his lover.

The poet uses the scientific imagery of investigation to
describe the effect of his lover’s beauty on him.

In Stanza two, the poet further expresses his obsession

with his lover’s physical qualities. The passion of her
touch is compared to the consuming qualities of fire.

In Stanza 3, criminal imagery is used to express the

persona’s desire to spend his lifetime with his lover.

In the last stanza, the persona concludes his lover’s

response to his love as subjective and submissive.

Answers
1. The persona is in a happy mood. He is love-struck.
2. The theme of the poem is “A lover’s obsession”.
3. The gender of the poet could be male.
4. Stanza two suggests personification.
5. The figure of speech is personification. Beauty is given
the human attribute of having fingers.
6. The poem has no rhyme scheme it’s free verse.
7. Heart- honey — (attorney); dear-fore — (therefore).

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WHICH?

(Analysis and answers by Oladimeji Awogbemi.)

Some might not find it easy to decipher that Witch is Which

but for some reason, the title hinted to me that Which is
Witch. A hint I didn’t really put to mind in my first read
but answered the questions in the second.

The brilliance in the usage of puns, alliteration and

rhetorical questions throughout the poem is very
commendable. The identity of the persona is made a
puzzle to solve by them. The language is quite simple
and the mood is quizzical.

An old hag’s doings and state are carefully projected with

insights into her engagements, feeding and acts but the
required skill to stop her is being thrown out.
However, the language is not very simple if it is intended
for school children.

Answers
1. The first stanza provides information about the
persona’s routine and state and equally discloses her
looks and appearance.
2. Old age/wrinkled face.
3. Old age.
4. Personification and metaphor.
5. Alliteration.
6. The lines suggest that the persona embarks on
midnight journeys and sucks blood.

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7. Evil acts; Witchcraft.

8. A subtle jab/Euphemistic pun.
9. Which craft - witchcraft.
10. How to put an end to her cause/What to do to stop
her.
11. The woman’s looks.

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FIFTY-FIFTY

(Analysis and answers by Taiwo Balogun.)

This poem revolves around two partners in a seemingly

compatible relationship. Even though they are fit for
each other, they may not be the perfect parent for their
potential offspring.

Answers
1. A AA AAA AAAA.
2. There’s no difference between the two personas. The
man is idle while the other complements in gossip.
This suggests that they are both idle since it takes
idleness to be a gossip.
3. Yes. Hexameter.
4. Two characters. Dating.
5. Idle.
6. Gossip.
7. Wit: intelligent;
Git: contemptible;
Fit: suitable;
Nitwit: stupid person.
8. They are suitable partners and their offspring will be
no different.
9. Direct.
10. Lazy and contemptible.
11. Perfect match and pit(ch) of shite.
12. That the dispositions of parents may affect the
children.
13. S3L3: Sole-mate - pun;
S4L3: He’s head, she’s tail - antithesis.

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(Analysis and answers by Esther Kalu.)

The poem highlights when two people with similar

personalities end up together. In this scenario, both
parties are lovers. They bring the same value to the table,
which is not exactly great. The similarities make them
compatible as one sees himself/herself in the other.

Answers
1. A BB CCC DDDD
2. Yes, there is a balance in their personality as they
share similar characteristics.
3. Yes.
4. There are two characters (male and female)
5. He is a lazy man who is idle and spends his time
aimlessly.
6. A woman who derives pleasure in gossip and is not
intellectually sound as well.
7. Wit - Intelligence;
Git - stupid/dull;
Fit - compatible;
Nitwit - Fool.
8. This simply means that their personalities (laziness,
dull, and loafing lifestyles) make them compatible as
lovers. However, these similarities, in the end, would
only bring forth offsprings like them.
9. Bluntness and anger.
10. Relationship.
11. Match - Pit(ch).
12. Sometimes, similarities do not equal value.
13. Pun. Line 6; Metaphor. Line 9.

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PLAN B

(Analysis and answers by Taiwo Balogun.)

This poem reflects on the fickleness of life. The poem

explains the plan A of humans which is to get done the
tasks ahead. Albeit, death or life always has a “Plan B”
for us. The poem exemplifies and encapsulates this with
Harry’s death.

Answers
1. AABCDE.
2. Four, including the narrating persona.
3. Iambic heptameter.
4. Harry.
5. Sad/melancholic.
6. Death and gloom.
7. The day is bright and sunny.
8. Death.
9. Personification.
10. Death/Reaper.

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John Adeh

(Analysis and answers done by Joy Atilola Oladipupo.)

The poem describes how life kicks off each day like
nothing happened yesterday; fresh, new every day.
Everyone goes about the daily rush to meet up with time
before dusk again but while all these go on, the Reaper
also has plans to take life each day.

The characters in this poem went about their day as usual

until death took one of them, Plan B came in, and they
had to stop to think of how to bury their dead.
The poem is written in simple language with a rhyme
pattern. It has three stanzas with six lines each.

Answers
1. AABCDE.
2. Three characters.
3. Iambic pentameter.
4. Harry.
5. Sadness.
6. Death; life and its struggles.
7. The writer describes the efforts everyone puts into
work, doing all they can as early as possible, as time
waits for no man.
8. Death, the Reaper.
9. Personification.
10. Death.

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(Analysis and answers by Oladimeji Awogbemi.)

The most unprecedented occurrence of living introduced

by some of its preceding ones. But the most fascinating
thing about the piece is not the message itself but the
method the poet uses to pass it.

The scripting style of minced puns mixed with inverted

phrases and caricatures of seemingly cliché phrases and
expressions are worthy of recognition. The piece is also
well-spiced with a substantial amount of figures of speech
to make it super interesting.

The language is simple and the diction reduces the

seriousness of the mood to some extent. Nevertheless, its
purpose is to remind sundry that a day for everyone’s
sun to dry will surely come.

Answers
1. AABCDE.
2. 3 (4, if death is to be regarded as a living entity).
3. 7.
4. The Grim Reaper.
5. Sadness.
6. Life’s futility.
7. Everyone’s trying to make an impact before the end
of the day.
8. Death.
9. Personification.
10. Death (The Grim Reaper).

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WATCHED

(Analysis and answers by Taiwo Balogun.)

This poem is likely set in the COVID-19 period when

all activities were shut down. The personas are mostly
strangers who connect over the net. There’s a romantic
tension that’s vaguely built in the work. The poem does
have a twist to it since all their actions are being monitored
without their knowledge.

Answers
1. Two.
2. Female and Male.
3. The poem is about a male and female persona who
enjoyed each other’s company during the COVID-19.
4. Private eyes: CCTV;
Birthday suit: skin;
Big house: prison;
17”: 17 inches;
PC: Personal Computer;
HD: High Definition.
5. Sexy dress.
6. Imagery - “Obsession up his throat with a hook of
curiosity”.
Simile - “...made him, like a bulldog, drool the sleek sight”.
7. Being watched.
8. That all their acts were not private.
9. Big Brother; On Scene; Unseen; Seen; Open Privacy.
10. Romance-panorama

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(Analysis and answers by Helen Omono Akinboye.)

The poem tells of a secret admirer who is obsessed with

the beauty of his secret lover.
The guy who secretly watches her every activity at home,
admiring her body in idle adulation is unaware of his
loophole.
The poem is somehow didactic, as it teaches readers
that what goes around comes around. And also, there’s
nothing hidden under the sun, “If you think you are safe in
your hiding hole, someone else is beneath you, watching your
every move”.

Answers
1. There are three characters in the poem. The guy, the
lady and the narrator.
2. Male, Female, the gender of the narrator is unknown.
3. The poem tells of a guy’s secret obsession with a
beautiful lady. He becomes useless to himself and
everyone around him as he does nothing meaningful
other than to sit in idleness and watch her from his PC
all day. The didactic nature of this poem suggests that
“What goes around comes around”.
4. 17” – seventeen inches;
HD – high definition;
Private eyes – hidden camera;
Birthday suit – probably skin;
Big house – prison.
5. As used in the poem, “smoky hot coal” probably means
her curves.

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6. Metaphor: “...courtesy of his private eyes in her abode”;

“Her smooth birthday suit-smoky hot coal-...”.
Simile: “Like BBNaija, it got him glued to his PC;
“...made him, like a bulldog, drool the sleek sight”.
7. The “shocker” the writer speaks about is the reality
that she too was watching him.
8. The last line of the last Stanza means that nobody has
a monopoly on secrecy.
9. Possible titles include:
Open secret
Interesting idleness
My obsession
Secret eyes
Shameful Lust
10. The poem is a free verse as it has no rhyme scheme.

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ANALYSTS’ BIO

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John Adeh

Helen Omono Akinboye is a final year

student of University of Benin, Department
of English and Literature.
She loves to express her deepest thoughts
and desires through Poems and Prose.
She hopes to affect lives and change some
negative societal narratives through writing.
Her greatest inspiration for writing is pain.

Helen Akinboye

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Taiwo Balogun is a writer and poet. He loves

playing with words and loves any witty
form of rhyme. His work is published in
Funminiyi’s Initiatives’ 60 Seconds of Silence.

Taiwo Balogun

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John Adeh

Joy Atilola Oladipupo is a Nigerian writer

and poet. Her works have appeared in
online magazines like Writers Space Africa,
BUAH Magazine and 60 Seconds of Silence
by Funminiyi Initiative and in anthologies
amongst others. She is the author of the
novel, Tinuke’s Diary.

Joy Oladipupo

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Oladimeji Awogbemi is a lover of art in its

various forms and patterns. He, however,
has special interest in poetry and derives
pleasure in photography.
Beside these, he annotates data and surfs the
internet during his leisure.

Oladimeji Awogbemi

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John Adeh

Esther Kalu is a freelance journalist, creative writer,

and screenwriter who is passionate about storytelling.
She has worked with digital news platforms such as
Premium Times, The Guild Press Limited, Naija News,
African Change Stories and NGOs, amongst others.
Her debut book, Love Is Not Enough, was published
in 2020. The book is a poetry collection that revolves
around love, life, and the personality of the author. As
a screenwriter, she wrote the story, ‘Crusted’, which was
made into a film in 2019.
She worked as a script supervisor on We Have Rats,
Movie Review, Mai Amami and First Puff short films.
When she is not exploring writing or storytelling, she
enjoys good music, books and movies.

Esther Kalu
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FEEDBACK

Dear Reader,

Do you find this work helpful?

Do you wish to contribute to the next anthology?
Do you have answers to the questions on the last poem
“Avec Mon Stylo, I’m Tired”?
Do you have any idea or opinion on how to make the next
anthology better?
Are you interested in analysing the last poem or any poem
John Adeh wants to compile in the future?

IF YES,
Send a short bio of yourself and contact details with your
interest or feedback to the email below. Thank you!
Email: [email protected]

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