Sparrow in the Machine: A Poetry Collection

By Gregory Carlyle

Sparrow in the Machine is a collection of poems centering on personal growth, reflection, injustice, and love. Sparrows are wild and are adept at finding their way in the city or the countryside. A machine is cold and unyielding, which represents the unnatural world that we humans have created here on earth. In Sparrow in the Machine, Gregory Carlyle describes his life's experiences and hopes in his unique subtle poetic style.

The poems, ranging from neo-soul culture to ancestral pressures to romance, were written with a personal touch. At times, you might feel as though you happened across a forgotten drawer of unread letters or in the Deep South feeling the thick air of oppression. In Sparrow in the Machine, Gregory Carlyle connects you to his past and present with his cool, balanced poetry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Sep 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098393359

Book preview

cover.jpg

© 2021 Gregory Carlyle Warner. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-0-57894-269-8 (Print)

ISBN 978-1-09839-335-9 (eBook)

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

To my beloved wife,

Tara Ann Warner

& our children,

Kori, Trinity, Journee, and Felicity

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

About the Author

Prologue

Moonlit Fruit

Darius and Nina

From the Sun, Sincerely Me

Untethered

Wisdom in the Low Sunset

Three Times Around

Already Written

The Sport

An Idealistic Dream

Gone

Walking Away

Finding Forgiveness

The Space Between

Imperfection

Nearly Fell Apart

Sound of Truth

Inside the Machine

Accepted Orbit

The Edge

A Letter of Thanks

To see the Truth in October

Love Got Me

The Source

Plastic Forks, Knives, & Spoons

To Write It All Down

Legacy of Slavery

Judgement

Water Takes Shape

Fifty-Nine Seconds

The Park

Counterfeit

The Hunt

Seventeen

Dear Georgia

Who, but You?

A little bit less

The Comedian

Soul Advocate

Soap and Opera

Finis

Unapologetically

The River

Ikigai

Humidity

A Cursed Species

The Aquarian

Sketching You

Eden Paradox

Comprehension

To Get Back

Highway to Heaven

A Game for Two

Pillar of Salt

waiting for your notes

Breathe Easy

Acknowledgements

I am especially thankful for the contributions

so many have made to my life.

My parents, who despite not having the most

idealistic youths, overcame those obstacles and

placed my brothers and I in a stable home.

To my brothers, Gary and Dwayne,

and my friends from back in the day, who are still

instrumental in the person I am ever becoming.

My love, my life – know that this piece would not have been

possible without the inspiration and support of my wife,

Tara Ann Warner.

And of course, as always, I am thankful to

My Lord and Savior,

who