A Second Set

            The next set of poems had themes similar to the previous set, but this set also focused on the earth being separate from humans and being unwanted.

            The first poem, “For Nothing”, compared the earth to a flower staying in its natural environment. It is beautiful in its surroundings, but all of that is for nothing because nobody wants it. Snyder says that there are “no takers” because there are not many people who are trying to keep the earth and the environment in natural, pristine condition. While many people can appreciate the beautiful condition that the flower is in, there is no effort to take care of it and keep the flower safe.

            “It Pleases” is a poem about everything that happens because of people and animals, but how we are not the source of power of it all. In the setting of D.C., people are moving, buildings are standing, and birds are flying against the clouds. Although all of this is happening, the center of power is the earth. The earth is the power behind everything that is and was. And even though people try to control the earth, it still does what it pleases. We cannot stop all of the natural disasters of the world no matter how hard we try.

            In “Two Fawns that Didn’t See the Light this Spring”, Snyder describes two different situations that had very similar endings. In the first situation, a man shot what he thought was a buck, but ended up being a doe that was carrying a fawn. Both died. In the second situation, a man accidentally hit a doe with his car. This doe was also carrying a fawn that they found when they butchered it for meat.  Both of these fawns did not get to see the spring because their mothers were killed before their times. This poem is really only about how tragic life can be when it is cut short.