Muyiwa Adeola Babayomi, in this collection of poems, Arrows of Joy, explores different forms of poems from cinquains to quatrains to verse and free verse poems that reflect a good use of sensuous meter.

Though some of the poems are faint in formalism, the poet demonstrates mastery by combining the rhythmic elements with vivid imagery and compelling slant rhymes to create a sterling work and other poetic mechanics that support the thematic resonance and heuristic poise of the collection.

He uses a diverse range of metres to espouse several themes of existential concerns evident in the book. Some poems have a flowing and smooth meter, enhancing the meditative tones. The use of varied meters across the collection is a conscious reach for heightened experience of poetic virtuosity. In the poem, Weaving The Streets, the streets are likened to a sphinx.

The poet combines complex strains of symbolism, varied rhythmic pattern and sensory inflections to unveil the complexity of the urban environment.
Babayomi’s use of literary devices such as alliteration, consonance, and assonance regales the poem with a keen tempo for an idea of rest and a sharp turn to the synaesthetic virility of agreeing sounds and sentences reflected in the varying length and pacing of the poems – as seen in shorter lines such as, “The homestead retches” and “To stay alive beyond schedule,” while longer lines, like “All the footpaths of mercies are now grave sites,” amplify the rest in the pacing to bolster the apparent surge of sensuous metre in the poem.

He also employs vivid and evocative imagery in different lines of the poem to append melodic mnemonics to the poem. The use of words like “retch,” “choking,” “perched,” and “sphinx” evoke not only visual images but also carry aural and tactile qualities, reinforcing the widest sense of the words.

Also, the use of repetition as seen in these phrases, “the same game again” emphasises a recurring cycle, contributing to a rhythmic pattern within the poem. Furthermore, using parallel structures, like “Old women tucking in life’s fat” and “Kiosks of creepy eyes lined up like nemesis,” amplifies the metrical footing of the poem.

In the poem, the Maid, while the poem primarily uses iambic meter, there are occasional shifts in the stressed and unstressed syllables. For instance, the line “A departure embraced on this blessed day” introduces a trochaic foot (stressed-unstressed) and the use of enjambment, where a sentence or phrase continues from one line to the next without a pause, contributes to the gliding rhythm.

The thematic structure of the poem spots a maid’s liberation from her previous life under the rule of her mistress. The poem celebrates the maid’s joy and triumph as she breaks free. Her Madam’s Departure shows a transition into a new life, unburdened and full of promise.