Read a Nature Poem on Earth Day

Today is the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day, which was held on April 22, 1970 and spurred the modern environmental movement. Founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin, the goal of Earth Day was to bring environmental issues onto the national agenda. The Earth Day held in April 1970 helped lead to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency later that year, as well as to the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts. http://www.earthday.org/

In her poem, “Gifts,” Chinese poet Shu Ting celebrates her deep connection with the earth:

“My dream is the dream of a pond
Not just to mirror the sky
But to let the willows and ferns
Suck me dry.
I’ll climb from the roots to the veins,
And when leaves wither and fade
I will refuse to mourn
Because I was dying to live.
…
Because all that I am
Has been a gift from earth.”

Shu Ting (b. 1952) was considered the leading poet in China in the 1980s and belongs to a group of Chinese writers known as the Misty Poets. The Misty Poets focused on three main themes: individualism, human’s relationship with the natural world, and the struggle against oppression. The complete texts for Shu Ting’s “Gifts,” along with her poem “To the Oak,” appear in EMC’s Mirrors & Windows, Level IV.

To celebrate Earth Day, read a nature poem today. Go to www.poets.org, click on Advanced Search and choose the theme “Nature.” Please comment and share your favorite nature poem!