‘Mumbles of a Soul’ by Toyin Sebastien Ajimati is a collection of over 70 pieces of poetry, prose and reflections on a vast array of themes from love and loss to social commentary, racism, capitalism and addiction. The differing length and structure of each piece adds variety to the collection, sometimes offering a snapshot of a single scene, and others a more expansive narrative.
I found that there was a strong use of imagery throughout the pieces which helped to emphasise each theme, ‘Cries of Ships’ was one of the more poignant examples of this for me. The author also uses quite a strict rhythm and rhyming structure to some success in a number of the pieces helping the poetry to flow.
There’s a strong sense of an inner voice throughout the entire collection and I can’t fault the themes and how they are addressed, it’s impactful but each piece seems fused with a sensitivity or empathy. I think that with some more polishing and editing that this could be a really great collection for poetry fans.
This collection of writing reflects thoughts stemming from the mid 1990s to early 2000s while growing up in Canada, more specifically Ottawa where I spent approximately nineteen years of my life. Other places that have influenced the pieces of writing are New York City, where I spent a few months living with relatives before returning to Ottawa and then Toronto where I ended up going and living for another significant part of my life. All those places and life itself, from my point of view, are found in my writing. I hope you enjoy exploring this collection, and I hope it has you thinking and revisiting various pieces time and time again.
