Philip Levine’s “Milkweed”

I first read Philip Levine in a poetry writing class when I was an undergrad at the University of Virginia. Professor Charles Vandersee assigned a bouquet of books by contemporary poets, including Levine’s 7 Years from Somewhere, Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich, The House on Marshland by Louise Glück, and Field Guide by Robert Hass—all marvelous and enduring volumes.