Dear Oscar

[Achebe]

Beautiful poem. Don't like "rest", as OW wouldn't have cherished the notion of an afterlife, and let's face it, asking the dead to "rest" is cliched. Palm clearing the path for asses is a nice bibical image suggesting OW as Christ, reinforced by the cock crowing and the inexact hand-cheek analogy (striking tyranny's cheek with a blistered hand vs turning the other cheek to tyranny's hand - I loved this twist). The simile doesn't always work, as the Gentle Giant was not the Christ child...but I'll grant you that licence. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this, and it is a beautiful tribute to the man.
Question: I didn't get the allusion to the picks of men - is that from one of his fairy tales?

Thanks for having a look -- this is the first draft, although I've reworked the couplet a few times and I'm definitely not happy with it.  It seems far too trite for me, but I did want to end on the giant (my favourite of his stories).  With the picks I was stuck in Reading Gaol -- that's what started this whole idea actually, the contrast of what went before with what happened later.  The cock is also stolen from Reading Gaol, but of course there are a lot of similarities between any tales of betrayal (though Oscar definitely was not a Christ!).  I am not entirely happy with the level of allusion in this but as it is principally a tribute, I can probably live with it.  I always find it quite difficult to express enough gratitude for his work when I know that he would not have appreciated any kind of fawning.  I'm definitely open to suggestions, especially in regard to that closing couplet.

Thanks again.

Leanne  - I changed my earlier post while you were commenting, so it reads differently now! but I think you've answered it all anyway.