Oh Thoreau
The world is filling up
cities run together
farms disappear
cars run bumper to bumper on the interstate
8 lanes across and still crowded
try to get away
ride out in the country
but the country is all built-up
all is pavement
trees get cut down
more roads and more congestion
subdivisions pop up like mushrooms
there used to be a thing called distance
there used to be place you could go
to be alone and think
now even the parks are crowded
filled with people
with campers and travel trailers and dirt bikes
they cannot leave their gadgets behind
so they bring noise and pollution with them
the deer run for cover
wildlife runs off and the fish dive deep
but get run over by jet skis and party boats
nature has no place to hide
there used to be an expression
Peace and Quiet
look it up
you can read about it on Wikipedia
or watch a video about it on YouTube
because you won't find it in reality
solitude is gone
the natural world became unnatural
oh Thoreau we cannot turn back
to your time or vision
your beloved pond littered now with trash
Walden became a tourist attraction
with parking lots and food trucks
and thousands of visitors traipsing about
in search of a place to plug in their computer
oh Thoreau, turn your eyes
turn aside
turn over in your grave.
keith jeffries
Tue 18th Feb 2020 13:47
d.k.,
You are going through a very creative phase in your poetry one which shows your level of observation more than ever. This poem is truly one of your best and focuses on an issue which many of us are witnesses to and anxious about.
Thank you for this
Keith