About the Book Kupenda is Swahili for "to love". At first glance, Kupenda is a small, 54-page paperback book. However, don't let its size fool you because the sentiments expressed within these pages are truly lovely and larger than life. The 30 poems are divided into three chapters, with each chapter opening with a quote, giving the reader a hint of what to expect. Seven of the 30 love poems are entitled "Kupenda". Alexander expresses his love for his wife, his daughter, and his mentors/friends, Sonia Sanchez and Nikki Giovanni. He also expresses his fascination with the idea of love in general. For example, one of the "Kupenda" poems reads: "Lips like yours ought to be worshipped See, i ain't never been too religious but you can baptize me Anytime" Although this poem paints a simple picture of lovers kissing, Alexander allows us to enter into his personal space and watch him be baptized with his lover's kiss. I also enjoyed the ironic contradictions in Alexander's three haikus. For example, in this haiku: Haiku (for nandi) "She is the sun bring- ing delight to each day. Please rain, don't come today." What a lovely haiku written for and about his daughter, Nandi. [A haiku is a "Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables, traditionally invoking an aspect of nature of the seasons." [The American Heritage College Dictionary (3rd Ed.)] When I read "Clincher," I feel Alexander's skillful yet playful side: "with this poem i will undress u my verbs will then activate yr noun w/a dangling modifier period" And, the following stanzas are unforgettable: "Tangerine" ". . . The course traveled sweeter the time spent longer the love spread wider and I sho' was thirsty like Mozambican vegetation year round she wanted to bloom I wanted to peel "Tangy," for that's what I called her. . ." Or from "Letter to AfroDite" ". . . perhaps one day . . . when water is free and heat is complimentary when hugging is mandatory and love is ongoing. . . when hotels don't charge for local calls and shoes don't cost so much when poets read books and not just their own when perms r permanent and everybody's natural when sex is safe and sons have fathers u know the way things are supposed to be . . ." "The Remembering," is by far my favorite poem because its lyrical narration is effortless. ". . .We will drive back across the earth's cold floor Back past the church Back past the chickens Back past the house with the big "A" on the front of the house Back to the photo And while I'm remembering She'll say, "what are you thinking on?" And I'll say "about -- " . . " Alexander's mix of unconventional punctuation, not capitalizing or abbreviating certain words, works well in this book. For example: cd (could); bk (black); r (are/or); yr (your) and the use of lowercase "i" seems to be his style. However, it doesn't change his message or the flow of each poem. My only pet peeve is the overuse of the words "poem" or "poet". That aside, reading Kupenda (love poems) was like finding Alexander's family photos, meeting the people responsible for making him who he is, or reading his personal diary and unearthing his deepest secrets. Kwame Alexander has written a memorable book of love poems and, Kupenda, is all any of us needs to do - LOVE! About the Author Kwame Alexander is a pivotal figure in the current renaissance of Black literature and performance. Alexander is a writer, publisher, and playwright. His poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. In 1995, Alexander founded Black Words, Inc., which publishes 2-4 writers per year, with emphasis on fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction. In 2000, he wrote and produced The Seventh Son, a two-act stage play, about the life and death of Tupac Shakur. Alexander serves as a contributing editor for Black Issues Book Review. In 2001, he was selected to read his work as part of the Library of Congress Noon Writers Series, and at the Washington Post/Howard County Library Evening in the Stacks Gala. He has been featured in The Washington Times, and on BET Tonite. In 2001, Alexander published his fifth book, Do The Write Thing: 7 Steps to Publishing Success. KUPENDA (LOVE POEMS):   back to top Copyright Cassandra Henry, 2002 EMAIL: cass@3blackchicks.com