Where the Parrot Flies
Poems
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Gone
February 1, 2003.Up in the sky we see a blue and orange blast,
a trailing plume of smoke, an orgasm of debris,
Columbia falls to Earth.
What’s left?
Searing burns
in families’ homes,
tears and downcast
eyes,
peaceful sleep
disturbed.
We feel the sun cannot rise
but does,
our breath should stop
but doesn’t.
Astronauts,
la creme de la creme,
once vibrant,
now obliterated.
Their hearts beat inside us.
We want to reconstruct
the shattered glass.
Those shards have cut us.
We bleed.
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Book Details
About the Book
Ah, like a luxurious exhale The morning sun leaves her hidden bed, And with fiery sandals sets sail Upon uncharted waters of love and dread. We say hello to strangers we’ve never met, Search the mysterious places behind their eyes ... James Levin embraces all of life’s experiences—both good and bad—in his first collection of poetry. In verse written in 2003-2005, Levin observes life around him while attempting to capture the essence of what it is to be human. In a varied compilation that includes sestinas, villanelles, pantoums, and sonnets, Levin explores relationships, tragedies, faith, nature, death, and love. From the complexities of a mother and son bond to the marathon that follows a frightening medical diagnosis to a teacher’s innermost thoughts as his students return to the classroom, Levin shares relatable verse that encourages others to look inward and reflect on their own experiences and lives. Where the Parrot Flies is an engaging anthology of poems that shares one man’s lyrical journey through three years of life as he learns, loves, and lets go.
About the Author
James Levin attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He spent his junior year abroad at the Universite de Marseilles in Aix-en-Provence, France. After graduation, he was a Peace Corps Volunteer for two years in Cameroon, Africa. He is an elementary school teacher, married with three grown sons. He resides in Burbank, California.