Decay without Entropy
Levine demonstrates a fascination with the idea of decay, both literally and figuratively. He often distinguishes the concept from the usual association with entropy by instead marking the phenomenon as a return to the rightful order of nature. In "Burial Rites" he associates the space beside his mother's grave as his rightful end. While the decay of his corpse is not a pleasant concept to most, to Levine it is correct and almost desirable. He writes openly about the decay of his mother's body with a complete rejection of the romantic and sacred.
Similarly "The Gatekeeper's Children" features some vagrant children who dig in the dirt behind a wealthy neighborhood. Their lives are defined by the dirt and the decay of the refuse of the wealthy, but they find opportunity in this "waste." Their relationship to decay and creative and sustaining. Both instances are surprising reversals of the traditional association of decay with entropy.
The Nakedness of the Mother without Her Child
Motherhood is a frequent topic of Levine's poetry. He features mothers without children and children without mothers respectively. While both appear incomplete without the other, the mothers lacking children appear profoundly exposed and vulnerable, as if their function has been robbed but their spirits left intact. "Burial Rites" discusses Levine's relationship to his own mother's death. He describes her physically in graphic detail of death, but he also alludes to her personality as if she is still living, but in a world apart from him. She has not lost her identity as a mother to the grave, but rather she remains solely mother, in Levine's opinion, despite not having access to the object of her nurture.
In a much more direct fashion Levine explores this concept in "Detroit, Tomorrow." This poem is a prophecy of increasing violence and suffering in urban environments. The protagonist, a mother whose son was murdered the day before, is depicted to carry on her daily rituals as normal. From the outside, however, all the observer can see is the gaping emotional hole where her son should have been. The recognition of absence is profoundly painful, yet this woman has no choice but to continue as if it were not so.
The Desire to Retreat
As expressed in his poetry, Levine appears to be an anti-social personality. He constantly desires to escape the pressure of social life and to retreat physically or emotionally. In "Our Valley" he dreams up this idyllic image of a remote mountain scene which preserves the sacred personal from prying eyes. He feels a sense of ownership of this place alongside complete powerlessness to effect or control the landscape -- a sweet spot for the reclusive author. This desire to retreat appears also in "Burial Rites" in which Levine writes about how he feels like he already belongs in the grave, one final resting place where he could have peace and a sense of belonging. In a sense, he expresses feeling untethered and bothered by the shifting of other people, so he appeals to nature as a representative repository of finality and comfort.
