Muhindo allows his mind and words to wander
What you need to know:
Alliteration, as shown by the many Vs in the book’s title, is “the repetition of the same sound at the start of a series of words in succession whose purpose is to provide an audible pulse that gives a piece of writing a lulling, lyrical, and/or emotive effect.”
Title: Vestiges of Vice and Virtue
Author: Alex Muhindo
Price: Shs24,000
Availability: The African Studies Bookstore
Pages: 216
Published: 2024
“Vestiges of Vice and Virtue”, a poetry collection by Alex Muhindo, is dripping with the alliterative power of words. Before we continue, however, let us move within a single thinking cap, if you will. As usual, this means we get to understand what this collection incarnates and projects to you, and I.
Alliteration, as shown by the many Vs in the book’s title, is “the repetition of the same sound at the start of a series of words in succession whose purpose is to provide an audible pulse that gives a piece of writing a lulling, lyrical, and/or emotive effect.”
The use of the words “Vestiges” (a remnant of something that is disappearing or no longer exists), “Vice” and “Virtue” recall “V for Vendetta”; the 2005 dystopian thriller film that made waves with its flowingly alliterative language. The liquid grace of each word rolled off the tongue. If you don’t believe me, here’s a quote from the film:
“Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition,” says the film’s protagonist V (played by Hugo Weaving).
Muhindo’s poetry is attached to such alliterative beauty, but not wedded to it. Instead, Muhindo allows his mind and words to wander. They are given literary liberty to do so. That’s because the author seeks to cover as many bases as he can in the context of poetic licence. So his words come at you fast and furious, with no Vin Diesel, but with plenty of fuel to float your boat.
Take a look at this somewhat salacious offering titled “Honeypot” and you will see precisely what I am talking about.
“He claims to love your beauty spot/You laugh back, Exposing your soft spot/After which he’ll play you/Like a sport/Having seen his two goalposts/In your precious honeypot!” writes the author.
I am going to assume that you know the persona in the poem is undressing, I meant addressing a woman. The metaphor Honeypot is redolent of American Rapper 50 Cent’s smash hit song, Candy Shop. The metaphors in Muhindo’s poetry are far more palatable to the literary mind than the grimy imagery of 50 Cent, however. Muhindo’s diction is less restrained in the way it dots the i's and crosses the t's with regard to which words tell best.
The poet’s run-on lines (technically called enjambment, which is incomplete syntax at the end of a line) keep the poem’s fluency equal to the poem’s ability to share its message. The joy comes from realizing that the metaphors are not idle condiments to the overall tastefulness of the poetry. They are devices to conceal intent to the extent that the poem does not foment any offense.
This poetry collection, arranged in nine parts, continues in much the same vein throughout. As the author teases and sometimes toys with the reader. It is almost as if he is testing how far the reader can go by not going far enough himself and thus stoking something inside the reader that will demand more poetry.
Wait. Did you say more poetry? Okay, here’s something from the poem “Soul Mate”.
“Let’s get out of this drama thicket/And our love consummate/For you’re my soul mate!” I would’ve dispensed with the exclamation point, but kept the rest of this collection at my bedside to awaken my every poetic sensibility.
