They Feed They Lion & The Names of the Lost: Two Books of Poems

“Coming Home, Detroit 1968” by Philip Levine (1991)

A section of poems from They Feed They Lion (1972) appears in The New and Selected Poems (1991); among them is “Coming Home, Detroit 1968” in which the speaker addresses similar subjects as “They Feed They Lion.” The speaker observes a “brown child” (14) at a spotlight who “stares into [his] frozen eyes / until the lights change” (Lines 15-16). The buildings are described as having “charred faces, the eyes / boarded up” (Lines 17-18), showing how the fire has harmed the city building. The “the rubble of innards” (Line 18) compares the riot damage to an eviscerated body. The poem ends with “We burn this city everyday” (Line 21)—a sentiment echoed in “They Feed They Lion.”

“Detroit Grease Shop Poem” by Philip Levine (2013)

Posted by Terry Gross for National Public Radio’s Fresh Air, this poem can also be found in 5 Detroits, They Feed They Lion, and New Selected Poems. This poem takes place in 1952, at “Automotive / in the city of dreams” (Lines 14-15) and features “Eugene” (Line 18)—the coworker Levine credited with the title of “They Feed They Lion.” The “roof leaks” (Line 23) with the “waters gather[ing] above us / waiting for one mistake” (Lines 25-26).