VICTORY BY MOGBOYIN OLAYINKA

GENRE : POETRY
TITLE: VICTORY
WRITER: MOGBOYIN OLAYINKA, NIGERIA
REVIEWER: SESAME MOOKODI, BOTSWANA

Victory is seldom without casualties. With perils in plain view many decide the risk is not worth it but those that do are prepared to write war stories in blood.

A level of vigilance comes naturally after suffering defeat and the writer outlines this in the first stanza. The choice in language sets an aggressive tone — "daggers, bulbs peeled".

And the phrase — “lose the battle and win the war” is an illustration that failure does not guarantee defeat and victory is not without its moments of failure.

In the second stanza, the writer makes the stakes of the uncertain journey apparent, depicted by the use of the phrase — “heads we win, tails we lose” (S2,L5). Going into gruesome details and descriptions of the consequence of their chosen path and that they are reminded and well aware of them as they go down to venture on, choosing bravery.

The writer goes on about the reality of failure on the path to victory and merges it with the awareness one must have of it and even a level of acceptance in order to conquer it. (S3) In moments of anguish it is normal to turn to false hope, a common result of great desperation expressed in stanza four.

The last stanza uses descriptive diction of a sober mood building up to the last line being a satisfying climax that offers the reader comfort that all the pain and trials faced on the road to victory was worth it in the end.