Elegies & Eulogies by Musa Gift Masombuka

It is without a doubt that the author undeniably had to breathe life into the project. The title of the project alone 'Elegies & Eulogies' captivates the reader before even indulging through the pages. The structure of each poem gives a bold voice, ensuring that there is no language barrier between the reader and the writer.

On the poem My Father's Head, there's a line that touched me in particular, "others come to glance at our scars, too deep for them to handle and they end up leaving." I had to literally reread that line again and again. I think it is something that most of us, if not all have encountered. There has been people who come into our lives as seasons, they wither and fade away from our lives even when they have promised to stay. Now, isn't that the worst tragedy of life?

Each line of this book is carved out of his soul. Elegies & Eulogies is forever tentative and indefinite, it is one of those books in which love and pain perfectly reflect each other in great detail. As I continued to leaf through the book, it took me to a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The book in its language and tone, can make landscapes out of what you feel as a reader.

The writer in each poem ensured that there's a direct transference of self to paper. It is probably fair to say that this is what distinguishes Elegies & Eulogies from the rest of the poetry collections. I would have liked to pick poems of this book into a category of my favourite but the whole book speaks to me.

If you are an active reader of modern poetry, this book is for you, and I warmly invite you to read it. The beautiful thing about this book is that the poet uses modern poetry to depict the struggles he has encountered during his both childhood and adulthood. Societies from different parts of the world have always taught men to be silent about their pain and hardships. However, the poet in this book put to rest societal norms that view men as impassive creatures. He pours his emotions into the readers and shares parts of himself that are wounded. He raises awareness about social and mental health issues. We are all victims of something, and different mental health issues prey on many people, and the most well-known ones are depression and anxiety. The poet has been battling with depression and wants the world to know about the reality of depression. The poet further touches on issues relating to township lives, absent and present fathers and being raised by a single mother. We are all raised in different ways, and how our parents raise us can influence our reaction to how we identify ourselves. Parents raise their children the way they consider being a right way, but is it really a right way? For whom? Children or them? We find the answers in this book. Elegies and Eulogies comprise relatable moments of our lives and you will not regret reading it. If you are a man and wish to cry, the poet holds that it’s Okay for men to cry and voice out their emotions; you are a human too.

Lost of words, blown away and left desiring for more! The world is nothing with Poetry

A very emotional book of which is very relatable to so many, I love it .

A very soul touching book❤🙌🏽🔥