1. If all world leaders were both politicians and poets, there would be fewer wars and more harmony. The most moving phrase President John F. Kennedy said was “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” That is a historical line of poetry. What about the ending of the Gettysburg Address: “…this nation under God shall have a new birth of liberty, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” That sounds like poetry to me.
Then there is the “Declaration of Independence”: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that their Creator endowed them with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. ” Politicians often move us with their words because they know the power of words and sometimes capture our heartstrings with poetic prose.
The critically considered romantic poet, Percy Byshe Shelley, said that “poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” Does that sound like a quantum leap in reasoning? Consider what Emily Dickinson, Allen Ginsberg, and John F. Kennedy said about poetry.
- Emily Dickinson: “When power leads a man to arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows man’s area of interest, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleans.
- Allen Greenberg: “Poetry is closer to the truth than history.”
- John F. Kennedy: “Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It is that moment of the night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that is what the poet does” .
What this planet needs are leaders who are both leaders and poets. If we did, peace and goodwill could flourish all over the earth.
2. Many poets celebrate our planet by writing about the wonders of nature.. William Wordsworth is a good example. Here is the first verse of “Daffodils”:
I wandered alone as a cloud
That floats high over valleys and hills,
When suddenly I saw a crowd,
a host of golden daffodils;
By the lake, under the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Other poets like Mary Oliver, Robert Haas, and Gary Synder frequently celebrate nature. Because? Hal Borland might have the answer: “You can’t suspect a tree, accuse a bird or squirrel of subversion, or challenge the ideology of a violet.” John Muir did not suspect the trees. He was perhaps the first tree hugger. That’s how much he loved trees. The following quote is almost a prose poem about the magic of trees:
“I never saw a discontented tree. They cling to the earth as if they liked it, and although rooted, they travel as far as we do. They wander in every direction with every wind, coming and going like us, traveling with us around the sun two! millions of miles a day, and through space God knows how fast and far!”
3. However, one does not have to be a tree lover or a poet to celebrate nature by designing houses and buildings that fit perfectly into their surroundings. Frank Lloyd Wright said, “I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.” In the same way, I believe in God, only I spell it poetry.
The appreciation of poetry encourages us to live life more fully.. Astrid Alauda, author and psychologist, says: “Happiness is sharing a plate of cherries and a book of poetry with a shady tree. He doesn’t eat much and doesn’t read much, but he listens well and is a graceful person.” host.” And if that tree could talk, it would echo the words of Carl Sandburg and say, “Poetry is a backpack of invisible memories.”
If we love poetry, we carry favorite lullabies, poems, and lyrics in our heads that go wherever we go. When we’re in traffic, instead of reaching for our cell phone (and breaking the law), we can recite or shout out some of our favorite poems. Some poems even give us courage in dark moments. To do this, I mark the INVICTUS by William Ernest Henley, and I remind myself that “I am the master of my destiny: / I am the captain of my soul”.
What sometimes requires a great deal of courage is facing our demons directly and confronting them in writing. Once the demon is analyzed and written about, it becomes less haunting and painful. It’s like taking a computer virus and erasing it forever from your hard drive. Once again, your heart and head can work more smoothly, and you can live life more fully. And then you can work harder to save planet Earth.
4. But what exactly can non-famous people do to save the planet? Writing odes to energy-saving devices and emulating the good people who buy electric cars; upgrade your water heaters; taking short showers (or even better, bathing in a tub; using a programmable thermostat at home; driving your cars at reasonable speeds; carpooling; biking to work whenever possible; using front-loading washing machines; putting Stain their refrigerators in a cool place; create compost piles; recycle cans, bottles, and newspapers; plant trees on Earth Day and hug trees in their spare time. These are the people who are really active in Saving Planet Earth. We must follow in his green footsteps and hold ourselves to a higher standard of living, why, so that planet Earth can continue to live.