In this Book
- Refugee
- Book
- 2022
- Published by: Red Hen Press
Taking the reader across our country through the varied landscapes of Colorado, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Arizona, Refugee discusses the nature of seeking shelter. We are all refugees looking for a haven from whatever oppresses our lives. What constitutes a refugee is at the heart of the collection. Poems confront and explore xenophobia, sexism, gun violence, domestic violence, corporate greed, and their ties to environmental destruction and political and economic tyranny. An ovarian cancer survivor, the author also writes about her own courageous confrontation with death. These inspiring poems ultimately call for the reader to recognize the refugee condition as a human condition. They call for a change in consciousness in the forms of action and compassion. They call for the reader to thrive. Ranging from short lyric poems to narrative poems, this collection steeped in rich, sensual imagery draws inspiration and healing from the natural world. Truth lies in recognition of the interdependence of all life. Refugee is an odyssey to find grace and unity in a besieged and divided contemporary American society.
- A CONVERSATION STARTER: With poems confronting and exploring xenophobia, sexism, gun violence, domestic violence, capitalism, and environmental destruction!
- AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR: Pamela Uschuk’s accolades include the Dorothy Daniels Award (National League of American PEN Women), prizes from Ascent, New Millenium, and Amnesty International!
Table of Contents
- Skull Song
- Cracking One Hundred
- p. 22
- Skull Song
- p. 24
- Axis
- Spring Runoff
- pp. 27-29
- Dog Walk Song
- p. 30
- Beyond Oxygen
- pp. 33-35
- Barred Owl at Equinox
- pp. 39-40
- Talking Crow
- p. 42
- Stormlight
- p. 43
- Endangered Species
- pp. 45-48
- Liquid Book of the Dead
- Healing Song for Surgery
- pp. 49-51
- Pathology Report
- p. 52
- Shapeshifter
- p. 53
- Green Flame
- p. 55
- Toward Wings
- p. 56
- Song of Reprieve
- p. 57
- On Losing a Mother
- pp. 58-59
- Walking the Labyrinth
- pp. 61-64
- Theories of Time
- pp. 65-66
- Olivia Begins Chemotherapy
- pp. 67-68
- Singing Bowl
- pp. 71-72
- Speaking of Angels and Ghosts
- Western Tanager
- pp. 73-76
- Morning Coffee
- p. 77
- Weather Change
- pp. 78-79
- Bordering on Hysteria
- pp. 82-83
- The Morning Porch
- pp. 85-86
- Speaking of Angels and Ghosts
- pp. 87-88
- One to Count Cadence
- p. 89
- Let Them Eat Cake
- pp. 93-94
- No April Fools
- p. 97
- Levitation
- p. 98
- Desert Aubade
- p. 99
- The Essential Shape
- pp. 100-101
- Gardenias at Easter
- pp. 102-103
- Biographical Note
- p. 104