Because the prophet lied
Thousands have died
And thousands more will follow
Because of the lies of this strange fellow.
~ Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima
The Prophet Lied is a kaleidoscopic time capsule in poetry.
From the first poem to the last one, Chima's eclecticism runs like blood through the veins as he addresses all the issues of life on earth from the classic temporal to the spiritual in all existential circumstances with provocative thoughts and evocative figures of speech on every facet and aspect of what transpires in our contemporary world. He is an unapologetic historian of his beloved country Nigeria and a romantic philosopher of the vicissitudes of life. The power of his poetry is his compelling vocabulary and captivating imagery as he loses no sight of every human experience and so he misses nothing with a poetic sense of humour. The Prophet Lied may take Chima into the pantheon of modern poetry for the classical nature of his literature makes it a timeless treasure.
Prize winning Nigerian poet Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima is a student of the famous poet, philosopher, and artist, Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) and Gibran's all time classic The Prophet has influenced his poetry since he read it 30 years ago before he published his first collection of original poems Children of Heaven in 1987 and followed by Scarlet Tears of London in 2006 under his popular pen name Orikinla Osinachi.
If you love Kahlil Gibran's poetry, then you will appreciate the romantic, political and philosophical poems of Michael Chima.
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