Some Songs to the Stars

New poetic work from the Grandfather of Ecological Planning and author of the classic book Design with Nature. Twenty-five poems in all.

Two Poems from Some Songs to the Stars

Shadows
Low sun
can make caricatures,
post and rail fences,
grossly distorted,
every irregularity magnified.

But not all shadows
are malevolent.
For there I am,
an old man with a stick
and a young shadow
lean and lithe,
a distant memory
in shade

Cultivating Poverty
Consider the cornucopia we received,
a world with wealth beyond measure,
our dowry.
We are resolved to dissipate it.
Every extinction lessens its value,
the more we conquer, the less remains,
the more we leave, the richer we are.
Let it be, let it evolve,
we are beneficiaries.

Can we shrink expanding deserts,
close the ozone layer,
still escaping topsoil,
treasure forests,
clothe the land,
feed and shelter the beasts,
enrich our habitat
for others and ourselves

Cherish clean air, water, seas,
pristine forests, reefs and prairies,
the wealth of creatures,
man and his works--
treasure them
our inheritance.

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