Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
FITZROY 'JAGGA' Cole does not restrain himself in his second (or second and third) poetry book, the two-in-one Lyrical Sonnets and Sojourner.
Readers of this daring double will be rewarded with elements of original thought and expression.
The sonnet is not the typical poetic format of choice for a Jamaican poet and Cole has gone one step further, developing his own form, the lyrical sonnet.
In his sonnets, Cole sticks to his chosen format as he explores matters of the heart (or, as he puts it in the first of the books, Sonnet 3, "this poring into minds") - and delightfully, at that.
There is the lover's question in Sonnet 4 (there are 19 in the book, not numbered sequentially), with:
"Will you be my mirror
Gladly reflecting the thoughts
that I will
Awake in you?"
There is the declaration of sexual exclusivity in Sonnet 17 - "Now make me a eunuch for/Love's sake castrated to all else save thine" - desire in Sonnet 18 - "Bend your sinuous body where I please,/My berry tree, dance! 'til I bid you cease!" ; and loneliness in Sonnet 31 - "the dark outside my window is full/Of stars and trees while what's/Awake inside yearns for some warmth..."
He does not shy away from the lustful side of the matter, saying in Sonnet 39: "Now she knows I'm cocking my eyes at you ... /Loving me is the best thing that you can do!" and putting the matter in Sonnet 36 as "How fervid did this soul/I place enthralled for servitude between/Your quartered walls".
One of the intriguing things about Cole's sonnets is that he is not afraid to submit, urging in Sonnet 34 "Abuse this not unwilling flesh! Chastise!"
This willingness is carried over into the second book, Sojourner, in which Cole demands in Lady Thug "Come drape me now!/Cole-cocking trigger-happy wretch/Watch the flex!"
Cole shows unabashed joy in his poetry, just as he does in the lyrical sonnets, but his approach is more relaxed in form, as well as broader in range of topic. First Time, which begins "First time a woman gi me bun/A tink de pain would neva done" - and goes up to "Third time a woman gi me bun" - is in the same vein as Lady Thug, but in this 18-poem book, Cole delves deep into Christianity, from a critical stance.
This is done through the title poem, as well as The Gods, Neva Understan', Jesus and Affirmation of Faith, which appear in that order. The opening lines of Neva Understan' capture Cole's stance on the Christian religion:
"Neva understan' how yu mek
man
And get crucified like a tief
Neva believe
Seh any man ever can walk
pon top a sea!"
You can feel the dub in Dis Drugsting, as well as Jamaican Dishes ("Stew peas an' rice an chicken French fry/Man!... yu lick eleven finger an' de dinner-plate dry"). He becomes the voice of the silent in Legion ("I speak for legion/Irresoluteness in man/And every hypocrite afraid/To take a stand") and chooses the poet's way in Choices ("Wasn't concerned about the passage of time/Literature could be as entertaining as wine ...").
Sojourner ends with the absolutely beautiful, poignant Early Summer, which details a separation - "Early summer flew you north/From a hearth so full of warmth". Then loneliness: "Four pillows! God alone in heaven and angels weep/But from yu migrate a doan get a comfortable sleep."
Then there is anticipation: "By autumn come grab a ticket/My time fe chip!" And the joy of reunion: "So winter is when we wrap/Warm being among each/Our comforter-hearts thunder."
There is a bit of wavering: "Should long unuse prove penile fickle", and the teasing end, "Wear de blue thong wid de red ribbon/Y'ear?... anytime yu phoning me again".
