Book Review: A Cry For Mercy
A CRY FOR MERCY: ESCAPE FROM THE UNSEEN DUNGEONS by Peter Okonkwo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Peter Okonkwo is a self-defined fatalist poet with a gift for cutting directly to the chase. His poems are unflinchingly angry, his scenarios heartbreakingly dismal. Our narrator for this latest of Peter’s poetic journeys is a tortured soul, seemingly unaware that we are eavesdropping on his one-sided conversations with Fate, Obstacle, Destiny, and God.
The poem that resonates the most with me is “A Conversation With Obstacle”. It reminds me of various points throughout my life when I felt as if I was being held back from what I worked so hard to achieve, for no good reason I could think of. It’s a piece I will return to again, as I found it cathartic. Sometimes seeing your frustrations put into words by someone else is a vast improvement over keeping your thoughts and fears hidden away in your mind, where they have a tendency to fester, or run rampant at times.
What poems will resonate with you? Which ones will start the contemplative gears turning in your head? Which poem will make you angry enough to start seeking a change? Can you face the big questions in their unvarnished form? There’s only one way to find out.
Lori Alden Holuta
Lori Alden Holuta lives between the cornfields of Mid-Michigan, where she grows vegetables and herbs when she’s not writing, editing, or playing games with a cat named Chives.
