Treasures. (Calabar Festivals, Idim Uyo, Forbidden Streets and other Poems) - Orok Otu Duke

The surface of the earth says:

"The treasure is within."

The glowing jewel says:

"Don't be fooled by my beauty-

the light of my face

comes from the candle of my spirit."- Rumi

Treasures (A collection of Poems), seeks to reinforce the notion that most poets would cherish being seen by their community of friends and relatives as 'functional', the voice who sanctions and gives formal expression to their lives in verse, who serve as the repository of their thoughts and experiences, much like the Calabar 'Eting Uto', 'Akwa-ikwo' or griot. In Treasures, every poem creates a presence that is so physically, emotionally, and intellectually charged that we encounter ourselves in our response to it, all within the vision of the social stratum. And our wider society.