The Sound of Falling
Rooted in Mobile, Alabama, these poems follow one man’s heart from the loss of his father through family history, marriage, raising a family and becoming a grandparent, brimming with the sounds of the sea and the rain.
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Read the title poem, first published in The Texas Observer, or browse more of Vernon’s published poems.
What poets are saying
A testament to a life well-lived, The Sound of Falling is a wise and beautiful collection of poetry. Sweeping through the losses and celebrations of one family’s history in ways that are quintessentially Southern, Vernon Fowlkes Jr.’s poems are rooted in his home place of Mobile, Alabama. The Sound of Falling beautifully articulates the journey of one man’s heart, beginning with the loss of the poet’s father and travelling through family history, marriage, raising a family and becoming a grandparent. The poems are brimming with images and sounds of the sea and the rain, as if the words were washed up on shore or found one morning after a storm.
Marjory WentworthPoet Laureate Emerita of South Carolina
These poems shine with presence and tender care. This poet’s eye is widely tuned and closely focused at once, inviting us into deeper, kinder living. He reminds us why we are here.
Naomi Shihab NyeAuthor of Transfer (BOA Editions, 2011), and a Chancellor Emerita of the Academy of American Poets
Nothing is quite what it seems— hold on tight— for a big wind is stirring. These poems are charged with the power of a breeze that’s been waiting quietly, gaining force and momentum and timing. The wind that stirs these pages blows with a quiet ferocity that is the hallmark of this amazing poet. Stand warned, friends, and hold on tight.
Lisa StarrRhode Island Poet Laureate Emerita
The Sound of Falling is not for the fainthearted: There is a true grief being lived through in this book. All the unspoken words and something no one can say, something you want but cannot have. A listening begins to happen and a profound waiting. There is a lot of courage in these poems.
Coleman BarksAuthor of Hummingbird Sleep (University of Georgia Press, 2013) and The Essential Rumi (HarperCollins)