Songs of Crocus Hill

About the Book

Most of us wish that our parents and grandparents had left more about themselves and what moved them for us to read and talk about today.

In Songs of Crocus Hill, author Michael E. Murphy presents a poetry collection that focuses on memory poems—candle-lit vignettes related to the memoir genre. The people, places, and experiences he imagines are drawn from his years growing up in the Crocus Hill district of St. Paul, from his experiences as a parent, and from his travels abroad as an international lawyer. Touching and funny, they tell stories of a boy’s encounters with teachers, sports, girls, and immigrants; of a man’s encounters with the loss of family and friends; and of the long arc of romance to love. Through these verses, striking a balance between the narrative and the lyrical, he seeks to help you discover the Crocus Hill in your own life.

This collection of poetry presents a personal narrative in verse, offering a lyrical exploration of one man’s recollections of the past.

About the Author

Michael E. Murphy taught English at St. Olaf and Macalester Colleges in Minnesota and then followed up with a thirty-year career as an international business lawyer with Medtronic and the Faegre law firm in Minneapolis. In retirement, he has been teaching a course on the law in literature at the University of St. Thomas Law School in Minneapolis. He lives with his wife, Jane, in St. Paul.