Chlorophyll

<p><strong>Join me on a journey to the unspoiled forests of Upper Michigan...</strong></p><p>A long time ago young men wishing to be tall</p><p>scaled the mast of my octopus arms</p><p>and scanned the horizon of Lake Superior</p><p>for a glimmer of Canada. Usually we were cut down ...</p><p> </p><p>For many of those who've lived there the Upper Peninsula of Michigan can seem like a magical place because nature there feels so potent and at times full of mystery. After having grown up there Raymond Luczak can certainly attest to its mythical powers. In <em>Chlorophyll</em> he reimagines Lake Superior and its environs as well as his houseplants as a variety of imaginary and historical characters.</p><p> </p><p>                       Ghosts dress in only gray and white.</p><p>This is how they camouflage their volcanic selves.</p><p>           Lake Superior is bottled with them.</p><p>                       You can't see them but they move like fish ...</p><p> </p><p>In Raymond Luczak's <em>Chlorophyll</em> the devastating natural beauty of Michigan's Upper Peninsula is imbued with passions its reticent human inhabitants are loathe to express. Trees lakes and stones air their infatuations their grudges their mythologies and griefs. Through this forest of the otherwise unsaid we catch glimpses of a speaker who knows there is no line to blur between 'person' and 'nature.' -Emily Van Kley author of <em>Arrhythmia </em>and <em>The Rust and the Cold</em></p><p> </p><p>Spring is a girl who's cried all night</p><p>only to find that morning easily forgives</p><p>the coldness of him having left her</p><p>stranded among the thicket of evergreens ...</p><p> </p><p>Giving voice to the natural world Raymond Luczak allows the rocks trees lakes insects and flowers that are part of flora and fauna of the region to speak for themselves and they remind us that we are human living in a more than human world. -William Reichard author of <em>Our Delicate Barricades Downed </em>and <em>The Night Horse: New and Selected Poems</em></p><p>Upper Michigan is indeed a magical place of great beauty and is truly worthy of the best hymns and poetry that nature can inspire. -- <em>San Francisco Book Review</em><strong><em> </em></strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Raymond Luczak </strong>grew up in the Upper Peninsula. He is the author and editor of numerous titles such as <em>Compassion Michigan: The Ironwood Stories</em>. His book once upon a twin: poems was chosen as a U.P. Notable Book for 2021. He resides in Minneapolis Minnesota. Learn more at www.RaymondLuczak.com</p><p>From Modern History Press (www.ModernHistoryPress.com) </p><p> </p>