|
The Storm
by Mark Lipman
53 Poems ~ 19 Illustrations ~ 112 pages
Price: $18.95
Publisher: Vagabond
ISBN: 978-1-958307-02-1
To Order: Vagabondbooks
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A storm is circling all around us. We have known this for quite some time. The question that remains is how do we weather it? For some, it’s to double down, to fight the rising tide, while others simply close their eyes, refusing to see the swelling tempest, and still others simply look to see how they can cash in on the wreckage. The Storm, by Mark Lipman promises to stand the test of time as it speaks to, and dares to call out, the “swelling tempest(s)” pervasive in contemporary life.
ADVANCE PRAISE:
“An astonishing collection of beautifully crafted pieces that will leave you gasping for more …”
–Eimeid O’Brien, poet, Dublin, Ireland
“The Storm is your must read book of the year.”
–Dan Speers, Poet Laureate, Haverhill, MA
“Mark’s poems beam with an ecological consciousness against the vain strivings of our materialist, capitalist world and urge us to embrace our humanity and connect to the great infinity, against the wars and wretchedness that we inflict on each other. This collection is original; it revives hope, delight and disseminates positive cosmic energy.”
–El Habib Louai, Moroccan Amazigh poet, translator and professor of Literature at Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mark Lipman, founder of the press Vagabond, the Culver City Book Festival, the Elba Poetry Festival; winner of the 2015 Joe Hill Labor Poetry Award; the 2016 International Latino Book Award and the 2023 L’Alloro di Dante (Dante’s Laurel–Italy), a writer, poet, multi-media artist, activist and author of fourteen books, began his career as the writer-in residence at the world-famous Shakespeare and Company in Paris, France (2002-2003). Since then he has worked closely with such legendary poets as Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Jack Hirschman on many projects and for the last twenty years has established a strong international following as a leading voice of his generation. He’s the host and foreign correspondent for the radio program, Poetry from Around the World for Poets Café on KPFK 90.7FM Los Angeles. As Mark continues to travel the world, he uses poetry to connect communities to the greater social justice issues, while building consciousness through the spoken word.
FROM THE BOOK:
As I Approach That Fading Light
by Mark Lipman
As I approach that fading light,
unsure if it’s the start of a new day or night,
with more behind me than what’s left to travel
hearing the echo of that distant gavel,
alone I walk upon this path,
that no other has or hath.
Cutting my way among the cypress trees,
beneath the stars that call to me,
a voice rings within my head,
of all the things still left unsaid.
While to the left and right the trail does go,
forward is the only direction I know,
and as I reach that winding bend,
in my heart I know it’s not the end.
Yet whether I be right or wrong,
still with me I carry this precious song,
of all the things my eyes have seen,
from start to finish and in between.
And when I finally reach that cliff,
where all must go who’ve ever lived,
let those who remain behind say of me,
there goes a man who was truly free.
|
