Poetry Friday: Thoreau, Nature, & Poetry Swap

Wildlife Comes to Lake Shore Drive, endangered species, © 2013 Michelle Kogan, watercolor and watercolor pencil. Available in my online Etsy Shop Michelle Kogan Fine Art

I read last week that today is Henry David Thoreau’s Birthday (I think from a comment by Diane Mayr,)  in his memory I’m sharing a poem he wrote. I wrote a response golden shovel that I built from a line I read in Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring–Both Carson and Thoreau were deeply involved in conservation–and Thoreau thought to be the beginning of the conservation movement–and both had an intrinsic love of nature. I momentarily went down a rabbit’s hole and found a few interesting articles about Carson and Thoreau–one by Margaret Atwood and another over at HUFFPOST.

THE MOON NOW RISES TO HER ABSOLUTE RULE
By Henry David Thoreau

The Moon now rises to her absolute rule
And the husbandman and hunter
Acknowledge her for their mistress.
Asters and golden reign in the fields
And the life everlasting withers not. 
The fields are reaped and shorn of their pride
But an inward verdure still crowns them;
he thistle scatters its down on the pool

Read the rest of Thoreau’s poem at the Poetry Foundation.

 

PRECIOUS HABITATS

To your “boreal fruit” and
precious “palatable fruit,” where 
all should be protected–great grievances are
everywhere. On the
ground and below, where men
have soiled the earth, and who
know better supposedly–
But continue to mis-understand
the dire effects of not caring for the
land–Earth’s land and value
to all living inhabitance of
all the trajectories of nature, proper
care of our land and its habitat
needs to become our top priority for
the survival of all– The
asters and thistle desire your preservation
for pride of humanity, for continuation of 
all life including, our sister, wildlife.

 © 2018 Michelle Kogan

 

 

And … with this being a nature focused post I’m also sharing my nature-infused poetry swap from Molly Hogan. She sent a keen poem called The Artist, along with some richly layered and gorgeous photo cards. Many thanks for these stunning pieces of nature woven into words and images Molly!

THE ARTIST

© 2018 by Molly Hogan

In a ripe moment
her thoughts clarify
condense
she touches brush
 to water
to paint
to paper

Each stroke
deft and sure
detail by detail
an image emerges
infused with meaning and color
a celebration of nature
a display of outrage
a call for action

She works her alchemy 
hour by hour
touching brush
to water
to paint
to paper

Deliberately
with craft and concentration
the artist distills
her potent truth
upon the page

for Michelle Kogan

 

I wrote a response poem to your lovely images Molly–

NATURE’S SPLENDOR

Splendor grows

            In wavy waters
            where bullfrogs frolic           

            In sunny spots
            where turtles stretch

            In flower gardens 
            where monarchs flutter

            In tidal pools 
            where shells lay on color-kissed crimson

            In mysterious branches 
            where herons herald possibilities

                                       Splendor grows…

                                      © 2018 Michelle Kogan

The Poetry Friday Roundup is being hosted this week by Sylvia Vardell, on her blog Poetry for Children–where she is offering a new poetry book, Great Morning! Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud, compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong, with a host of other wonderful poets! Thanks Sylvia for hosting.