Review: “ArMiNNa” By Decipher J. Liman

“Arminna” is a spoken word poem written by Decipher. It is like a romantic song a lover sings to his beloved. It has rhyme and rhythm and the central theme is love.

The lover tries to remind his beloved about when he use to have a crush on her. But was so shy and timid to tell her. He would only admire her from afar. Until the day he summoned courage and asked her to be his wife.

The poem is highly descriptive with a lot of imagery, it is very easy to picture it happening. “The boy with the quiet eyes”, “sweaty palms of a scary groom”, “your fantasy of jumping the broom” all conjures some images.

The writer used repetition from the beginning to the end. “Arminna, here is a other phones.” The Hausa accent makes it difficult to decipher some words.

Simile was used to make direct comparisons, “his feelings like a magic bean”, “that boy with a morning eye like gazelle”.

“That loner in a crowded room” is quite ironic. Despite being surrounded by people, he still felt lone. It tells us of the lovers personality, that he was probably a recluse.

“Your hair smelt of cinnamon and burning beans” this are contrasting words. An oxymoron was presented here.

Personification was used in “he wrote you a poem with sweet memories of a serpent smile.”

S also alliterates in “serpent smile”

Vera Bonny