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| Sunset on Walden Pond. Photo: John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images. Sediment samples reveal swimmers and tourists are polluting the lake where Henry David Thoreau sought solace in the mid-19th century. —Seeker, April 4, 2018 |
It is earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. —Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Shhhh!
don't say a word
you'll startle the birds on the trees
and the fish in the pond
worst of all
you'll draw the attention of the noisy tourists
they will pour over by busloads
to look into your eye
that is now full of human waste
and mearure the shallow depth
of their own nature
William Marr has published 23 volumes of poetry, 3 books of essays, and several books of translations. His poetry has been translated into more than ten languages and included in over one hundred anthologies. Some of his poems are used in high school and college textbooks in Taiwan, China, England, and Germany. He is a former president of the Illinois State Poetry Society and lives in the Chicago area.