Review of the "sparrows fly" haiku of Sazanami

Chicken wings at the altar: A Christmas feast. Discussing the book by Gabriel Awuah Mainoo


A childhood like mine is full of weird amusements and fantasies. Experiences, which when remembered in this very early wake of adulthood, surely humours me. One of the fondest memories I have of this childhood is the picture game. A game in which any random picture is either scarified, bespectacled, blackened on one part to resemble the 'devil' or given a bad eye. In fact, we do cut out pictures from wherever we find them, to make what might be called puppets.
Reading through the senryu of Gabriel Awuah Mainoo, one definitely will not miss out on the dexterity with which he imbues the verses with sarcasm. The feeling I got is that, like the younger version of myself, Gabriel Awuah Mainoo had successfully cropped out few funny pictures out of the favourite album of Christmas.
The aroma of Christmas wings when roasted and placed on the altar, might certainly be compared to a sweet smelling sacrifice to the most high, albeit ironically.
The senryu are besides being humorous, very thoughtful. take for example the entry verse:

25th of December
Jesus still a year old
after all these years

Jesus' birthday is always celebrated in the present, as though Virgin Mary was in the labour room the night prior.
Also, the book puts into thoughts the various scenarios that could play out on Christmas day, such as this:

Christmas morning aroma
a stranger misses his way
to our doorstep

Besides the hilarious, there is the dangerous and the improbable in a single breath of literary nuances.

blast of fire works
sends grandmother
on a marathon


in the above mentioned case, one will most certainly pity the old woman. This underscores how the subject of fun could well be positive and negative at the same time for different individuals.

Sunday morning
sharing gifts
to receive gifts


The pattern of behaviour at Christmas is also taken into proper consideration, making this book a delicious looking chicken wing, which when placed on the altar of our imaginations would surely be nothing short of delicious.
However, the senryu of Gabriel Awuah Mainoo are not the only beautiful offerings for Christmas, a single glance at the haiku in this book offers one a great deal of delight.While people enjoy and celebrate the goodness of this season, more important is the act of worship and praying. Through a beautiful juxtaposition (toriawase), the authors shows us that here:

grass blade
a praying mantis changes
its prayer pose

Here, not only the mantis change its pose, we see the faithfuls also changing their prayer points.

With the following verses, the haijin finally takes us to the dining table where we perceive the aroma of the chicken. While growing, I'm familiar with the fact that the first portions we (kids) have of the chicken is the wings and legs, the title of this collection thus takes me down the memory lane.

Christmas morning
a wafting aroma of chicken
from the casserole

Christmas and New Year always come in the winter season, in our own part of the world, Africa, it comes during harmattan, both are however characterized by intense coldness. In trying to adapt with the nature phenomenon, people are seen reacting in various ways, such as drinking hot tea, wearing sweaters, pullovers, gloves or coats, the author shows us another way of handling the event:

chilly evening
taking a cigar in to choke out
the cold


In the passage of Christmastide, we have the New Year at sight. So while some changes the paint of their house in preparation of the New Year, there is a common to all: replacing the calendar, the author puts it rightly here:

replacing locks
clocks and calendar
New Year eve

Finally, as you read ‘Chicken Wings at the Altar,’ you'll find before you a replay of every single events of Christmastide and New Year, including those things you never thought could be noticed by any. Gabriel Mainoo is a down-to-earth, and such feature arguably produces beautiful haiku and senryū.

©Oni Tomiwa and Ayeyemi Taofeek.

• You can order for your copy of the book by contacting the Author Gabriel Awuah Mainoo via gmainoo63@gmail.com