Memories and Images: Selected Poems

This is a collection of poems that includes works from four of Perkins’ earlier volumes of poetry and pays tribute to family and artistic greats such as: Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Billie Holliday, LeadBelly, Roland Kirk, and others. The opening from Black Sister Of Song (For Nina Simone) reads I hear your voice / a deep throbbing / of blackness / beating like / the staccato / of soft African music / a sensuous sound / awakens to infinity In these lines Perkins shares the richness of the African American experience that resonates throughout the entire collection.