To read more about what George Held has to say about Dances With Tears click here to read his review for Small Press Review.Efrayim's poetry truly embodies the experience of a contemporary Jew who has found a very deep inspiration in his ancient roots. There is a certain freshness and bright sunny quality that comes with his pure simplicity which cuts to the very core of his growing relationship with G-d. Yet, there is the tension and frustration of one who has seen what he, and those around him, could become if only they would. He is both optimist and realist.
—Rabbi Yossi Mendelson, Chabad of Rego Park - Jewish Learning Circle
This book is a blast of Hasidic bebop ecstasy.
—Craig Fishbane, Brooklyn Poet and resident of Bensonhurst
DANCES WITH TEARS
by Efrayim Levenson
ISBN 978-0-9817678-3-3
soft cover, saddle stitched, 16 pp.
$6.25 (+ $1.50 S&H)
Thank you for the poem [Mordechai's Day at the Beach]...beautiful...best wishes
—John Zorn, American composer and saxophone player
His poems themselves are heartfelt psalms.
—George Held, The Art of Writing and Others
Credit: Devorah Levenson
Efrayim (Fred Barry) Levenson began writing poetry, in Buffalo NY, in 1982. He has been published in small press anthologies across New York State, as well as in Missouri and Belgium, and has collaborated with musicians Dave Schmeidler, Rey Scott, and others. Since 2003 he has lived in Forest Hills NY with his wife Devorah and dog Yoffee.
Levenson’s poetry writing path has been guided by Joy Walsh, Allen Deloach, Robin Kay Willoughby, and Carole Southwood. His work is influenced by poets Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg, musicians Frank Zappa and Buckethead, and Chabad Chasidism.
Levenson’s imagery ranges from the subtlety of a quiet walk in the park to an attack by a runaway lawnmower. His poems are montages of rhythm in which he plays with rhymes and the sounds of words. Deloach once said, “See through the eyes with the heart.” Efrayim Levenson’s poetry will take you on a journey into his heart and soul.
Click here to visit his blog spot at: http://efrayimlevenson.blogspot.com
Watch a video clip of Efrayim's New Year's Day reading a Bowery Poetry Club for Futurus Lux/Light of the Future:
Efrayim Levenson at Bowery Poetry Club in NYC on New Year's Day 2008 (Video Credit: Roxanne Hoffman)
& RIBBON
& I died a little every time you cried & screamed at our nose-to-nose screams & I moved to the city where the noise is quiet & Mommy would not let me go until she took you home, her home & we invented a new life & we won & you lost & we lost & we are a 5-minute phone call every Monday night & you’re in my arms, my home, 18 hours a month & you remember less and less of your hometown & you lose baby teeth without me & you grow taller without me & you do not learn to ride your bicycle without me & though I have love I am a lonely old man without you & I am not a Daddy without you & all I have are snapshots without you
"&Ribbon" was nominated for a 2007 Pushcart Prize by Poets Wear Prada.
Hear Efrayim talk to Art Wave's Host Anne Cammon and read his poetry on WKCR FM NY, originally aired on Friday Sept 7, 2007 at 9PM EST.
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