A Lone Bird in Flight

By Ray Marik

A Lone Bird in Flight is a poetry collection that explores three major themes: living under the crush of good and bad that befalls us day to day and year to year; a deep concern for America and the fate of democracy; and a look at “dwindling years” as he writes about fears, happiness, dying, lost love, twilight years, and other themes reflecting 90+ years of living. 

All proceeds from the sale of this book are donated to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation to provide financial support to wounded warriors, and scholarships to children whose parent died in special ops activities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Oct 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781977269652

Ray Marik

A sickly child of divorced parents and an unhappy childhood, Ray Marik dropped out of high school and joined the army. He excelled as an 82nd Airborne paratrooper and as a member of an elite Special Ops Airborne Ranger unit. After honorable discharge he was employed as a marine operating engineer and later became an educator earning two post graduate degrees and a Fulbright appointment to England. He taught special education students on the high school level and engineering students on the college level. He was a 25-year community volunteer, remarried at age 83 and lives with his lovely wife Mary in Seattle, Washington. He is also author of Special Education Students Write, And Strode Blindly Into Oblivion, and Where Eagles Go To Die 

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A Lone Bird in Flight

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2024 Ray Marik

v4.0 r1.0

This is a work of poeticized fiction. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Books by Author

Special Education Students Write

And Strode Blindly Into Oblivion

Where Eagles Go To Die

Please note. None of the listed book’s continents in whole or part have been written or assisted by ChatGPT or any other artificial intelligence tools

Contents

Living

A Bird

Morning Song

A Home

Donuts

A Necessary Thing

The Long Trail

The Robin and I

The Unexplained

Anger

Primeval needs

Lonesome

Black lake

Smashing Steel

Doggies

The Making of a Universe

Anchor

Choices

The Brain

Bounce Back

A Warning

Pleiades

A Special Place

In the Seams

Wasted Time

Winter Days

Intentions

Memories of Mom

December’s Hummingbird

Life’s Tumult

Life

It Is Time

The Winds

Two Americas

I wonder

A Mending

WWIII

Lost

America 2023

Too Late?

Sentinel

A Ranger’s Thoughts

Alarm

War

Victory

Firsts

Warnings

Hole Coppers

Truth Seeker

Change

Gatherings

Collapse

The Unsolvable Puzzle

It’s Just A Season?

Astonishing

Witness

The Natural Order

An Artificial Future?

COVID-19 Personal

COVID-19 Universal

Ethics

Failure

The Cleansing

Dwindling Years

God’s Grandeur

The Long Lonelies

Longevity

Dearest love

Mary

Die?

The Dance

Somewhere

The Unanswerables

A Reflection

Dot

Best Friend

Special Students

I Return

Threads

Evening’s Song

Going Home

A Warm Cup

Golden Dreams

Meaning

Starry Death

Fear

Old-Age’s Secret Sorrow

Our Creator

Mom

Easter Thoughts

Lost Love

Death Bed Regrets?

Death

Prelude

Dot’s Passing

Near The End

The last Sunset

Our Last Years

Last Words

Aila

Farewell

About the Author

Introduction

This poetry explores three major themes. The first is Living under the crush of good and bad that befalls us day-to-day and year-to-year.

The second theme is Life