These Words Are Not Mine

Poems of pain and pleasure, lyrics of love and lust; Nikade tells it as it is, sometimes unnervingly so. And because the experiences are recounted in mild and measured metre, the reader is eager to get to the end...and back to the beginning. Emmanuel Frank-Opigo Chairman, Bayelsa state chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors Ebidenyefa Nikade's maiden collection ,These words are not mine, is an exploration of two age-long themes- life on earth as a pilgrimage and love as painful but enlightening experience, which every pilgrim must go through to discover that life transcends the physical and its ensnaring affections. But more than this, it is a maiden's diary- a rueful account of the loss of innocence and bitter-sweet transition into womanhood. G.Ebinyo Ogbowei Department of English and Literary Studies, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Amassoma, Bayelsa State