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A few days ago, Facebook notified me that it has been a year since I last sent Rodney IAmTheATM Roskruge a friend request and luckily for me within hours he had pressed the 'accept' button. He didn't know me back then but after a status of his was shared by a mutual friend, I paid a visit to his wall and I couldn't stop myself from reading until I had reached the very first status he had ever posted on Facebook. His mind, his thoughts, his words had completely captured my heart. He is a poet and I had never been much of a follower of poetry but his got me hooked to a new world that I thoroughly enjoyed.
A few months later, I saw a status that he had self-published a book. I made plans to buy myself a copy and just two days ago, the book was handed to me by the author himself. We were at the Umthatha Word Festival and I was in the audience when he was asked questions about the book, even though I had a few of my own, I chose to be a shy groupie. He explained what the term self-publish means for him and he actually said he regards the whole process as 'self-hustling.' He shared that within the first week the book came out, the whole batch had been sold out and he described the whole journey as quite an 'unexpected success.'
The book is called 'A fork, Arrow, Red Tight Costume and Cupid' and it is a collection of 136 poems, I have read them all twice, and some even more than that. I love everything about this book, the pages are so white, they are almost glistening, I love the font and how the book is structured. Right at the front of the book, is a letter by the 25-year-old Rodney to his older self. This made me smile because I really liked the letter. It embraces who he is, and actually made me realize how he lives his life is intentional because he seems to understands that today is knitting together the man he hopes to be when he is all 'grown up.'
The book starts off with a poem titled 'We are stories' this is one of those poems, if ever I was asked to choose to be a poem 'which one would I be?' this is definitely the one I would choose to become, over and over and over again. The book seems to be inspired by his deep thoughts and sentimental heart, it made me feel like we were given access into the core of both man and poet. With his words he shows his fun side, his very serious side and his mushy side. He uses the words 'andaz' and 'nton nton' often, as if he does not know much but with each line, we are met with his insights that let you finish each thought for yourself, whether challenging or confirming your current convictions. I have many favorite poems from the book from 'Press Play' to 'The Difference.' Majority of the poems are in English and only a few are in Xhosa but they all dance to the same rhythm that kept me turning page after page. Rodney Roskruge is a creative beautiful mind and this book is a true depiction of just that.
