The Abundance of A Heart (Plummet, Lagos; 2017), written by Nwachukwu Olusegun, is a book of poetry that exalts the creator of all beings. The book, which contains 70 poems, incorporates four distinct poetic forms haiku, sonnet, triolet and free verse.
Olusegun was a nominee for the ‘Nigerian Writers’ Award’ in the Teenage category. He is also a spoken word poet, who currently studies medicine at Babcock University. His writing is didactic and justice-driven.
Olusegun’s Abundance of A Heart is an outpouring of the love he has for God. “The book is a collection of poems molded in the frame of the psalms. It expresses man’s spirituality and continuous leaning towards the Almighty divine.”
The book covers a vast number of topics in which readers can carve out their own interpretations according to their personal convictions and insight of the subject matter addressed in each poem. Many people search far and wide in search of relief and peace in moments of distress, but in their pursuit, they exempt the one genuine solution to such problems – God.
One of the poems ‘My Only Hope’ captures this view vividly: ‘My only hope is (in) Yahweh/When I am lonely, weak, and poor;/this world is cruel, so I say/My only hope is (in) Yahweh, /because he will show me the way. /when ills I see, I don’t fret, for/My only hope is (in) Yahweh/When I am lonely, weak, and poor.’
This poem preaches total reliance on God’s power and His ability to calm the storms of life if only one could believe.
The bible refers to God as a consuming fire deserving to be worshipped with reverence and awe. One who will not share His glory with worthless idols; this same God is rich in love, mercy, slow to anger and full of compassion.
The poem ‘God is A Merciful Father’ captures the later part of God’s characteristic as it reads thus: ‘God is a merciful Father:/He wishes that no one should die and face damnation./Forever, God is a merciful father./To Him, my sins no more matter as long as I have Jesus./My God is a merciful Father; He wishes that no one should die.’
The author perhaps the most captivating poem titled ‘Holy Spirit.’ This rejuvenating poem revives the heart of readers to the role of the Holy Spirit and also awakens the awareness of God being three in one personality (God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit). “Holy Spirit/Spirit so true and pure/Holy Spirit/Spirit so kind and just/Sweet Holy Spirit/The Spirit, which searcheth all things/Sweet Holy Spirit/The promise of the Father/Given to those who fully consecrate themselves to God/our Comforter, Teacher, Guide our witness that we are God’s children…/Holy Spirit so true, so pure Holy Spirit fill our hearts today.’
It is, therefore, paramount as seen in the poem that as a child of God, the Holy Spirit has the ability to guarantee your hope in heaven.
The book The Abundance of A Heart is most appealing but not limited to the Christian audience alone, who love to reverence God with words of homage for his greatness and sovereignty. The simple yet captivating style by the author will leave the readers greatly refreshed.
