In this poem, Levine reflects on the death of his mother. He describes burying her ashes in a garden with a lilac plant and a rose bush, and watching them grow out of his mother's remains. He reflects on the things that remain and his own memories, and how the death of his mother changes them.
Detroit, Tomorrow
In this poem, Levine describes how some of the violence that occurs in Detroit effects people on a personal level. He focuses this poem on the mother of a boy who has killed someone and follows the woman through her daily routine while she mourns her son and his actions.
The Gatekeeper's Children
"The Gatekeeper's Children" begins with a description of a house owned by a rich family. Levine describes the house in vivid colorful detail before turning the poem to focus on the children of the family playing in the backyard. He describes them and imagines the things they have unknowingly agreed to by growing up how they are in their house.
Our Valley
"Our Valley" is a more abstract description of a specific, mountainous area of land described by an unnamed narrator. The narrator describes how hot the land is and how far it is from the ocean, though he mentions the air smells of salt once in a while. He then goes on to personify the mountains and describe them as all-knowing. The poem takes a more reverent tone from here out, with the narrator reminding his addressee that the land does not belong to them, and encouraging them to worship it.
