Letter to Lilly (PB) (2021)

Call it a life manual for the girl-child and you wouldn't be wrong. But Letter to Lilly goes beyond that. It is a collection of poems that preaches defiance against accepted order. In this collection, the poet wastes no time in declaring her intentions. In Burn she charged with a voice full of strength:

Burn, lady. Burn.

Fuel your aspirations

and deposit a refining fire in the

core of this crude scheme of things.

For centuries, the girl-child has been taught to play second fiddle, her roles relegated to home keeping and children grooming. But women like Maya Angelou, Michelle Obama, Nina Simone, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and a host of others have always rebelled against that wrong order and inspired others to do the same. This is what the poet has done in this collection of fire and brimstone, telling every girl that will hold this collection that she is:

A unique gift from above,

a force to reckon with

and a sight to behold:

You are the budding flowers of the hibiscus,

the pride and hide of your land

and the reason your land is seasoned.

Beyond the concerns of the girl-child, this collection also delved into subjects like identity, race, and belief.

And its interesting thematic concerns aside, the poet managed to employ rich, flowery language in each poem with an avalanche of poetic elements gracing each line. The poet also has a rich palate for style.

In all, this is a collection of poems that every girl-child should own. It is a pamphlet that will embolden every reader to own her space, to make her voice heard in society, in her workplace... anywhere and everywhere.