May Day

by Phillis Levin

A sensuous and musical new collection from acclaimed poet Phillis Levin

May Day is a work of a visionary imagination. In tones playful and celebratory, in gestures both intimate and international, Levin’s poems explore how tenderness and violence change our lives. From a flood overtaking the Prague zoo to the joy of a maypole dance, from a mural of the Trojan War in a Greek diner in New York to the “noiseless explosions” of time in the opening of a flower, these poems are rhapsodies of the senses and the intellect, disclosing new thresholds of meaning.

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2008

Reviews

[Christina M Rau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phillis Levin has a lot to say and uses very few words to say it. She illustrates oddities of travel ("The Museum of Stolen Things" about a museum in Cairo), natural catastrophes ("Album" about an earthquake), art and literature ("Boy with a Thorn" about a famous statue, "Not a Prayer" that alludes to "On Prayer" a poem by Czeslaw Milosz), and uncomfortable things ("View from a Terrace in Antibes" shows a view from a terrace from which someone jumped to commit suicide, "That Morning" discusses a thunderstorm the night before September 11, 2001 in New York, "The Chariot" takes off on a newstaory about men who were hung in Fallujah). May Day succeeds in making you think without making you weep. She talks about nature without being sentimental. She talks about war without being preachy. She uses a variety of styles from longer lined couplets to shorter lined stanzas that look like little boxes on the page. Her collection weaves together structures and material that seemingly don't make sense all in one place. With Levin, they are supposed to be in one place.

I learned a lot about teaching from Levin. I studied with her in my time at Hofstra. She introduced me to the works of Milosz. I see Milosz in her work. I learned that if you teach what you like to read, you like teaching a lot more, and you then become a better teacher because you don't hate what you're doing.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phillis Levin uses playful language to explore topics with an intellectual and moral seriousness I find irresistible.

[John Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of work by Phillis Levin. I particularly enjoyed “Newspaper Man” and “Keep Reading.” Make sure to read the “Notes” section for additional context on some of the pieces.

[Gabe Redel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pleasant walk of contemporary poetry.