Broken Wing
Judevine: A Play in Two Acts
February 17, 2019
Broken Wing
S et in the remote mountains to the north, BROKEN WING is an allegorical tale about a rusty blackbird with a broken wing who can’t fly and therefore is trapped in the inhospitable north country for the winter, and a man, known only as The Man Who Lives Alone in the Mountains, who lives a solitary life of nurturing attentiveness, simple kindness, and passionate emotional intensity. BROKEN WING is the story of how these two different lives come together.
A story of loneliness, survival, tenacity, and will, BROKEN WING is also about music and race and what it is like to be a minority in a strange place. A story of the natural world and the wonder of birds’ lives, and of one man’s deep connection to them, BROKEN WING becomes a song of praise for the cycle of the seasons and a meditation on the reality of dreams and the dreamlike quality of reality. Told with simple, dignified prose BROKEN WING takes on the timeless, mythic aura of a folktale.
(Beyond Words Publishing, 2019)
The best way to purchase BROKEN WING is through your local bookseller (who can order it if it is not in stock).
If that is not possible, you can purchase it online at:
“A rusty blackbird and The Man Who Lives Alone In The Mountains are both signature characters from the hermit-obsessed mind and heart of David Budbill. All of his life, David Budbill paid homage to the iconic poet recluses of China by importing their philosophical dignity, eccentricity, and spiritual probity into his beloved north country. Broken Wing is both a continuation of that project—and an autonomously haunting allegory. A prolific and passionate writer, a beautiful story.”
– Howard Norman, author of The Bird Artist
“This is a fine capping work to a lifetime of writing that asked the brave questions and accepted life’s deep mystery. You need not be a bird lover or watcher to enjoy this book, but there’s a good chance you will love both birds and life more by its end.”
– Larry Smith, New York Journal of Books
“Like a parable from the New Testament, Broken Wing takes everyday events that all of us witness, and makes them a prism through which we can appreciate the richness and mystery of our lives.”
– William Chafe, historian at Duke University, and author of Hillary and Bill: The Politics of the Personal, as well as numerous other books on modern America, civil rights, and feminism.
“In Broken Wing, David Budbill celebrates the forces of nature and virtues of solitude. And in a time of clutter and distraction, David reminds us of the beauty in our attentiveness to small tasks and in caring for other fragile lives.”
– Bryan Pfeiffer, biologist and ornithologist
“The Man Who Lives Alone in the Mountains, the well-named protagonist of this little gem of a book, is preparing his gardens and cabin for the winter when he notices a grackle at his feeders, standing its ground against the bullying blue jays. He enjoys the bird’s presence into late fall, thinking it is odd that he is still around, and then realizes that the reason he always sees the bird walking is that he has a broken wing. And as he studies the newly named Broken Wing, he also comes to the conclusion that the bird is not a grackle but a rusty blackbird, a much more elusive species. Thus begins poet David Budbill’s lyric tale of a solitary man and a solitary bird as they make it through a harsh Vermont winter. This lovely, introspective story is an allegory of sorts, examining whether being alone is automatically lonely; the role of music as a balm to the wounded soul; the spare black and white winter and how man and bird cope; and finally how the connection of two lives can be all that matters. Highly recommended.”
– Nancy Bent, Bird Watcher’s Digest