Peter Okonkwo’s philosophical, maybe religious, quest in Fate, in the Dungeon of Doom has the potency to spur a reader to re-examine the debate on the ‘difference’ between poetry and philosophy. In his critical tone and meditative mood, in this collection, poetry engrafts philosophy as much as philosophy, poetry. He has proven that there’s enough gene of philosophy in poetry as there is poetry in philosophy, as both are foetuses of the same semen of wonder. Aristotle’s assertion that “It is owing to their wonder that men both now begin to philosophise” is evocative here. It is the same art of wonder, to examine man’s existence, particularly the metaphysics of destiny, that Okonkwo undertakes in this collection.
In Fate, in the Dungeon of Doom, ‘wonder’ is both a foreground and a motif. As a motif, the poems, burdened by the mysteries of destiny, are the poet’s constant attempt to ascertain the nature, cause and effect of man’s kismet: “Why do many people lose/their way to locating/your divine destination?” he enquires. Okonkwo sets out, as a metaphysician, to understand the mystery behind fate. But it seems, the more he enquires the more it becomes mystical, for behind every poem with which he sets out on this quest lurks the tone of frustration; of uncertainty occasioned by his inability to provide ultimate answer to this riddle which seems to be ever predominant in man’s cosmic affairs. “Whoever stays too long on a journey/will return home someday”, he writes. But one later realises that his “return home”, is a glimpse at the answer from a blurred horizon.
The collection is divided into three parts: the first part is subtitled “The Poems of Fate”, and it contains thirteen poems; the second part “The Poems of Kwame”, and contains thirteen poems too; the third part is subtitled “Other Poems”, and contains twenty-two poems. The part which expressly details Okonkwo’s existential interrogations of “fate” is “The Poems of Fate.” However, the thematic gaze is equally shifted to the part subtitled “The Poems of Kwame”, which chronicles the traumatic experience of the missing of Kwame in the village, where the latter follows his mother (Vanessa) in search of his father, only for him to miss his way, resulting in grief which his mother and brother go through—“fate”. The incident consequently traumatises Vanessa (his mother), as captured in the poems: “Vanessa’s Loneliness”, “The Trouble with Vanessa”, and his brother, Etean, in the poem: “Etean’s Letter to Kwame.” One sets out on a good course only to meet with misfortune. Okonkwo’s basic concern here is not simply the fact that destiny is a lineament of life; rather, the inherence of what could be considered ‘negative’ destiny which usually emerges where ‘positive’ one is expected.
A number of questions seems to underlie his quest: can man come to terms with his destiny? What is responsible for his fate? Can his kismet be altered? When does he realize that he could (and should) influence his destiny? When does he know that his destiny is negative or positive, hence, should be accepted or rejected? Burdened by these wonderings, he writes: “It makes me wonder how long a man would know the way to his fate/How do I know if I have arrived at the junction of fate?” (p.45). For Okonkwo, even man’s spiritual inclination cannot provide outright answer to the enigma of his fate, for, as he laments: “Even though he could confide his fate to the supernatural God/how will he even know if something is wrong or right with it?” The poet seems to be confronted with a puzzle, even where the questions carve a path in the maze by the persona is in.
The rather sombre tone evident in these poems underlies the individual frustration (“doom”) that inspires some of the interrogations, such as: “If I’m destined to be successful, why is it that I still suffer?/If I’m destined to have good fortunes/why do I still miss it?/If I shall ultimately laugh/then, why do I still cry?” However, they are critical questions targeted at his theistic self. Okonkwo seems to hold God against His words such as recorded in Psalm 121, especially, in line with the existential contradictions evident in most believers’ realities. For instance, theists who believe that destiny is a divine lineament of man’s spiritual being, often owe the knowledge of their destiny to their spiritual relationship with God according to the latter’s words in the Bible. However, Okonkwo, armed with his fate-twisted reality, seems to hold antithetical view that even such does not guarantee understanding of one’s fate.
Even so, he seems eager to find clues to some of the questions elementary to his wondering. For instance, the question of whether fate could be altered, which, differing from the theistic belief that destiny is a divine construct that cannot be altered, and leaning towards the Epicurean viewpoint, he conjectures that man’s thoughts, actions and inactions are determinant of his fate; for him, they determine what he calls man’s “fortune” or “misfortune”: “But who knows if destiny will end in fortune or misfortune?” he writes, in the poem “Something Must Have Impeded a Man’s Fate” (p.61). For him, the power to alter and/or influence his fate/destiny, although intricate, lies in man’s consciousness of his actions and inactions in relation to how such influences his reality. Here, Okonkwo writes with an existentialist undertone. However, in poems such “Moments of Maladies”, “Fate in Disarray”, in which he constantly echoes “Creator”, and always “Praying to the owner/of my life if only/ he would hear me” (52), his existential undertone is not Sartrean. In this collection, however, Okonkwo is much of a theistic existentialist than an atheistic existentialist.
It is significant to note that, in this collection, Okonkwo does not conform to one school of thought against another; rather, he looks into the basket of thoughts, knowing the intricacies of the subject he pursues. He speaks with the voice of the stoics, the Epicurean, the theistic existentialist, the Sartrean, etc. Like the plethora of voices, he also uses different style and techniques—dramatic and narrative mostly—to deliver his subject matter in this collection. Dramatic technique is seen in the poems under “The Poems of Fate,” while narrative technique is seen in the poems under “The Poems of Kwame.” The assemblage and artistic utilisation of these techniques to deliver his themes is a mark of artistic merit that cannot be easily ignored in this collection.
However, his neglect of language atrophies the stylistic aesthetics of the collection. For instance, in the poem, “The Misfortune of a Fortunate Lad” (whose atrophy begins from the title), one reads such lines as: “Dear God, turn my shame to praise/I write you a pleading poem/please accept my plea for my fate’s good luck”. While aesthetic merit cannot be accorded what seems like an accidental lyricism enhanced by the alliterating /p/ in “praise/pleading/poem/please/plea” evident in the quoted lines above, the metaphorical (hence, imagic) limpness is reflective of the abandonment of language at the peril of style and aesthetics. The use of words such as “misfortune”, “fortune”, “lad”, and such trite expressions, in poetry, does not evoke any imagery; rather, it stilts the readers’ imaginative curiosity.
There’s also excessive enjambment which limp rhythm, hence, lyricism. He seems not to pay much attention to imagery and metaphorical manipulation which is a marker of great artistry. Some of the poems seem to be written in a flight of thought, as against consciousness of language, hence, diction. An example is the poem, “Whose Fault, Fate or Mine?” in which he writes: “If I am yet to receive it/If I still suffer from not arriving at the junction of fate/ Is it my fault?” The merit that could be accorded the depth and vigour with which the subject is pursued cannot be accorded the language with which the poems are written. It should be mentioned that the subject matter a poet explores in his/her poems is never a measure of great poetry as much as the language is. Great poetry achieves artistic merit not only in its peculiar subject matter, but in its consciousness of language in the delivery of that subject matter, seen in its metaphorical and stylistic evocativeness.
These days of the proliferation of lyrical jeremiads, poems of the nature contained in this collection hardly come by, with such abstract subject as kismet. In particular, it is what makes the collection both unique and avant-garde in a way, not because the subject has not been explored, but because it’s not prevalent in this time of confessional poetry. It equally re-asserts the timelessness, hence, cyclical nature of this aspect of being; thus, it points to the significance of the poems in Okonkwo’s Fate, in the Dungeon of Doom.
Nket Godwin is a poet, literary critic/essayist, book reviewer. His works have appeared on Afrocritik, African Writer magazine, Libretto, The Nigeria Review, Konyashamrumi, Lionandlilac, Con Scio magazine, Afreecan Read, Eboquill, and elsewhere. He writes from the city of Port Harcourt. He tweets with @nketgodwin96.
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