Pier 40

Pier 40, by Joyce Englander Levy, is a lyrical poem that invites readers to consider what treasures they can leave behind for someone else to find. The narrative takes place on a walk with Levy and her young children through the West Village, in which you feel you're having a conversation you've been longing to have as the narrator reflects on what she grew up imaging for her life compared to parenting through the pandemic. The dreams of adulthood meet reality-with imaginative children to provide context and comic relief. The narrator takes strides to understand the nature of human experience through personal introspection and meditative observations on the changing world we inhabit. The chapbook is structured in distinct sections, where scenes, memories, and reflections are braided together in a hybrid of poetry and essay form. As the narrator pulls apart her past, the threads of the story weave together and readers are inspired to think of their own relationships with ambition and contentment.