Growing Flames

Fury & Lavender

Emmanuel Kane has never been a soldier, but he has great respect for those who have served and sacrificed for the freedom we hold so dear.

“I have a good friend who served in the second World War. My son’s godfather was a General in the U.S. Army. Some of my brothers in the Knights of Columbus served in Vietnam, and I have many friends and students who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over the years, I have been touched by the stories they have told me about their military experiences. Stories about the horrible things they had to do, how they came to terms with those things, and their longing for home,” he says.

Emmanuel Kane's Growing Flames: Fury and Lavender, is a brilliantly conceived poetic feast. The poet demonstrates a remarkable breadth of knowledge and a stirring imagination full of tropes and metaphors that truly make this a great book. Kane masters the history, literature, and moral ethics that makes his poetry live in the present. Using the military and martial examples he brings truth in words to life.

Molefi Kete Asante, author of Facing South to Africa

With powerful imagery and language, Emanuel Kane takes his readers to places where they may not want to go. No one wants to experience war, suffering and death, but the world can’t turn a blind eye to it either. Many of these poems are uncomfortable and hard to read, but poetry doesn’t have to be pretty. Kane pulls the reader from the comfort of a chair into a world of uncertainty, where many people live out their daily lives. This is not an uplifting book, but it is a call to action, a call to care for our fellow man.

Jonathan K. Rice, Editor/Publisher, Iodine Poetry Journal

Here are the words of no return. Emanuel Kane writes about war and refugees. Here is the verse of headlines. This collection of poems is troubling. There is blood on many of the pages. It's a reminder that the present is a dangerous place to live. Kane writes about Isis and Miriam Makeba wailing from the grave. He knows the beautiful ones have yet to be born.

E. Ethelbert Miller, Poet/Educator/Literary Activist

In Growing Flames, he captures the disappointments, fury, and melancholy of a young soldier in a very realistic manner. His poems are multi-layered. Most of his poems contain a satirical twist that provides a deeper insight into war, beyond the literal meaning, and that makes readers pause and say, “Ah.” These poems will speak to readers today because of the continuing wars and conflicts throughout our world.

Dr. Sylvia A. Holladay, English Professor, University of South Florida

Kane’s Growing Flames: Fury and Lavender is a collection of 95 poems divided into four sections. Each section addresses different perspective on war, political corruption, killer disease outbreaks, and depraved indifference. Each poem uniquely touches on personal effects to the human soul. His powerful words challenge us to be aware, to take a stand – to listen and hear, to look and to see. This book reaches your very corps with carefully crafted prose.

Liane Larocque, PhD/editor/author