Reflections Of My Life

I was inspired to write poems about myself and the little town I grew up in. I begin writing at the age of eight and the words just kept coming to me again and again. It was the inspiration of writing poems that capture me. But this was a very troublesome time indeed. I wrote about the things that I didn't have and the things that I needed.

This book of poems is about the "Reflections of My Life" and the things that happen to me while growing up poor in the South, and the events that are going on in the world around me today. While growing up in the South, I had some happy times, but most times were sad. One of the experiences I will never forget is growing up in the poorest conditions and living most of the time without food to eat. I can remember only having one dress to wear to school, one to wear to church, and two pair of black and white shoes to put on my feet. When I moved up north, things started to get better for me; I was able to find a job and provide a better life for me and my children; a better life than I had.

Levarne Pipes-Austin was born, in Winstonville Mississippi on March 31, 1955 to James and Willie Mae Pipes. She attended the IT Montgomery Elementary School and The John F. Kennedy High School in Mound Bayou MS. Levarne migrated to Chicago IL when she was 18 years old. While in Illinois, Levarne attended the College of Great Lakes, to pursue a degree in Psychology. She worked for a Law Firm in Wineka IL, as a filing clerk for 6 years, she worked at the VA hospital in foodservice as a line leader, where she served diabetic patients for eight years. The highlight of her accomplishments was working as a food service worker and Supervisor at Carmen Bucker School in Waukegan IL, where she retired in 2021 from 32 years of service. Levarne is blessed to have seven children and over 28 grandchildren. Levarne always dreamed of being a poet; she started writing poems at the age of eight years old. Levarne was inspired by the things she saw and heard throughout her life. Levarne enjoys reading the Bible, being happy, cooking, shopping, and most of all, lifting up the name of Jesus.