Geology by Joseph S. Newman

Ironically the illustrator, David Shannon, for "Geology" in "Thanks and Giving" was born only a month before poet Joseph Simon Newman died in 1960. With this creepy note aside the poem is wonderfully written and educational. Brief commentary on each stage of planetary geology creates a montage of how earth was formed. Sadly, the introduction is misleading. The writer associates, "dimples," and, "pimples," with mining and, "...chipping away at the Earth."

The imagery is awesome, yet it is specific to geology. A person with minimal background in geology will find the poem intriguing. However, without some base knowledge it is open for interpretation. Detail is forsaken for poetic license. Each line is only a scientific summary of events, if it lacked rhyme and meter.

Four geological massages
In four successive ice barrages -
Which filled its unbecoming dimples
And leveled off some rocky pimples.

Clearly these lines reference scientific observations of the Nordic Cap: four stages of warming (the messages) and four stages of cooling (the ice barrages). Glacial caps are known for creating smooth basins and lakes with water. Mountains and cliffs with powdery beds of dirt and sand formed through wind blasts.

A humorous quip at the end creates an entertaining ode to earth's creation, "To say the Earth is fairly stable and, in most geologic features, better balanced than its creatures." Though insulting the statement is playful, because it is multidimensional and may be interpreted in several ways. If viewing earth as an entity, it had millions of years to mature. If looking at the durability of the planet, we all hope it is strong enough to support many life forms on its surface. If thinking of the peaceful sanctity of the wilderness, earth is frequently more relaxed than inhabitants running along wildly along the surface.

I enjoy the idea of writing an Ode to Earth. Giving thanks to earth reminds us of how important earth is to everyone. While people may argue life could have started anywhere, human life started here and anything a person needs comes from earth.

Quirky Books
Thank and Giving by Marlo Thomas