Book Review: Terry a O'Neal

Good Mornin’ Glory
By Terry a O’Neal
Published by Motion Publications.
Reviewed by Emmanuel Sigauke.

When you open this collection, you will see three epigraphs, but I like the one by Ella Wheeler Wilcox: “With every deed you are sowing a seed, though the harvest you may not see,” which complements an earlier one: “Sow the seed.” With these initial messages, this collection by an Elk Grove poet often compared to Maya Angelou, promises hope and renewal.

The first poem, entitled “my sister” is a call for universal unity, with the understanding that all humans are equal, and that unity is not optional: “My sister— / let me love you / grab hold of my hand.” Then, the persona advises the reader: “love your sister as you love yourself— / every shade—white, beige, brown, orange or black.” Common sense, right? It would be, if it wasn’t for our reluctance to embrace each other as fellow species. As hesitant brothers and sisters, we forget about kindness, “caught up in this ‘state of confusion’”. It is confusion made up, a forged sense of disunity, the poet seems to suggest.

In “Mama Afrika”, O’Neal is right there with South Africa’s Brenda Fassie, who has sung about the continent as a caring mother. O’Neal reaches out to Africa in her persona’s search for identity, a connection with the continent. Perhaps a strong sense of who we each are will compliment the need for universal unity that the poet called for earlier? Of course just knowing where we belong or who we are is not enough, but knowing that we belong together with everything around us, the cypress trees, dirt and gravel: “the essence of me…/ [is] in the dust before me.”

The title poem, “Good Mornin’ Glory” sparkles with the promise of a new day and conveys a message of constant renewal, something akin to the organic regeneration of flora and fauna. There is beauty in this regenerative power that’s at once physical and spiritual, cyclical and permanent. The sun shall continue to rise, vines will regenerate seasonally, and so will we, in our inter-relatedness and unity with nature.

In “lavender sky” the persona states: “i inhale / the smell—the aroma / of the season” and in “hair” the glory is the connection with Africa heritage: “whatever kind it be / expression of pride / my history / beauty and grace / I embrace / the identity.” This identity has been passed down from the persona’s roots back to the motherland. The poet seems to argue that being in harmony with the American world does not mean denying African roots. Crossover appeal is best when it recognizes the point of origin and embraces the possibilities that life has to offer.

Some of the poems celebrate womanhood in general and black motherhood, in particular. I like the one entitled … “and the beat goes on”, in which the persona lauds “this black woman / this Queen / my mother, my sister / my aunty, my grandmother / my teacher” whose guidance she seeks.

These call on us to hold hands in unity and our search for the guidance of history; and this appreciation of each other will bring the most natural and desirable qualities in us, sowing the seed for an understanding of a mysterious, yet glorious universe.

[Review to appear in Poetry Now, a publication of the Sacramento Poetry Center]