A Review of Salihu Mahe’s How To View The World From a Glass Prism
Book Title: How To View The World From A Glass Prism
Author: Salihu Mahe
Publisher: Authorpedia Publishers
ISBN: 978-978-984-518-7
Year Of Publication: 2020
Reviewer: Ibraheem Uthman
In contrast to previous years, writers are emerging from all corners of northern Nigeria; they are not only writers, but they are also being baptized with the ever-nourishing flavours of literature. To 'inhale the intoxicating incense of poetry’ is another pick of an engineer, who is often motivated by themes such as the psychology of human beings, morality, love and nature amongst others. With the appearance of his poetry collection, How To View The World From A Glass Prism, Salihu Mahe’s view shatters into the artistic scenery.
How To View The World From A Glass Prism is a dazzling manual that has succeeded in its attempt to show and direct readers through all elements of their lives, in one way or the other. The poet personae takes us through the poems in this book, which muddle memories in the minds of the readers as he guides us on how to “Pluck a feather from the hands of time”, “Turn our mouths into a nuclear bunker” and “Dance to a rhythm that isn’t our genre”.
“This Is How To Chill” is based on the idea that one should be rid of all burdens that have become harmful to one’s being in some way,
“Dissolve your being in nature’s wing"
then relax from the burdens/pains one has been carrying, since only then— Only by following this guide will one be able to reach inner peace.
“Let the leaves blow you away
To somewhere from all the pains
Where nature wills the sky blue
And serenity commands the atmosphere”… (Page 15)
When reading these verses, readers may feel themselves breathing in and out, allowing some comfort (if the reader permits it), thanks to the poet’s tremendous use of language.
Once we’ve cleansed our hearts of all anger and resentment, will we be able to recognize the purity in everything and everyone, including those we think are difficult to forgive:
“Everybody is a clean slate
Even the ones that caused you pain” …(Line 1 & 2)“Wash away the past of the people
Dissolve your prejudice in foam” …(Line 3 & 4) (Page 16)
Only when we stop criticizing individuals based on their faults, forgive their mistakes, and inspire them, are we being directed by the poem "This Is How To Live Without Regrets."
The poem "Instructions On Killing A Corpse" begins with the hypothetical query, "How do you kill a dead person?" This poem takes us through a step-by-step process to help us stop grieving and start living again. Mahe, acting as a sort of lifeguard, asks his audience to:
“Start by unlearning
The lessons of their hands
Then move their memories closer to the bank
Let the oceans take back their demons” …(Page 20)
It is the poet's wish that we unclip the gallery of memories in us, thereby putting an end to the grief.
Mahe’s poetry "This Is How To Treat People" asks his audiences to put people where they deserve, neither higher or lower:
“Like the ellipses of a magnetic field
When you want to treat people
Remember
You are gravity
Put them in their place” …(Page 26)
The importance of getting to know people before allowing them into our lives is often ignored. "This Is How To Sieve People" instructs us on how and who to accept into our lives and relationships.
“Throw a handful of them into a sieve
Let them dance on the strings of the net
For the length of a slow song” …(Page 30)
In accordance with the conditions we utilize, if they meet requirements, then we may embrace them into our lives.
“If they are soft as flour or fine as silk
Fitting squarely into criteria
Pour them down the drain
Let them find the length of the sewage” …(Page 30)
According to Salihu Mahe, "Misfits" are individuals who do not fit into our life and should be gathered in a bowl for speedy disposal.
“The World: A Beginner’s Handbook” is a manual for individuals who are just venturing into the world, of its glorious and gloomy times. “This Is How To Start Over,” advises the reader to rise above their failures, whatever they may be, and start again.
Aside from using simple language expressions, the award-winning poet made superb use of literary devices in his collection of twenty-eight (28) poems, as in Chime Justice Ndubisi’s To Kill an Angel.
Although in poems like "Burial Made Easy" and "This Is How To Be Free", one wonders if the poet is purposely sardonic or if he mistakes one thing for another when he incants, thusly:
“No longer at the mercy of my enemies
I slay myself before they slay me
This is how I become free” …(Page 22)
Instead of a daring step leading to a celestial freedom, the lines above portray faint-heartedness. Above all, How To View The World From A Glass Prism is a trailblazing piece of art.
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Ibraheem Uthman is a poet and the author of the book; Mind Of a Bard. He is a member of the Hill-Top Creative Art Foundation. He is writing from
Minna, Niger State, Nigeria.
