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along with gravel and soil
they removed the trees
with an excavator
making the dark sky
even darker
tomorrow they will build a skyscraper
right here on this grassland
and decorate the hollow eyes
with twinkling glass
This poem first appeared in Prairie Light Review (Fall /Winter 2000-2001).
Used here with permission.
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William Marr came to America from Taiwan in 1961. After receiving his master's degree in mechanical engineering and his PhD degree in nuclear engineering, he worked in the area of energy research at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago for 27 years before retiring in 1996 to focus on his true passions — poetry and art. A former president of the Illinois State Poetry Society, William has published two books of essays, several books of poetry translations, and 23 volumes of poetry. His poetry has been translated into more than ten languages and appears in high school and college textbooks in Taiwan, China, England, and Germany. In 2018, William received the lifetime achievement award from the International Board of Examiners of Edizioni Universum and the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from the Marquis Who's Who Publications Board. In 2019, he received the 60th Literary Award from Taiwan's Chinese Literature and Art Association. William lives with his wife, Jane, in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Learn more about him here.
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William Marr:
Thank you all for your encouraging kind words. With poetry, I am confident that we can all survive the current pandemic， physically and spiritually.
Posted 04/22/2020 11:06 PM
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Lori Levy:
Short, but says a lot.
Posted 04/22/2020 09:54 PM
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Wilda Morris:
Well done, Bill. We keep damaging Mother Earth.
Posted 04/22/2020 08:27 PM
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Jo:
Bill, this is a beautifully written and important poem.
"decorate the hollow eyes with twinkling glass."
where there were grasslands/hollow eyes
Posted 04/22/2020 05:27 PM
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mail@schoolbusmart.com:
Reading this and reading about you, inspired me to go to your website and read more. I particularly liked this: http://marrfei.org/this-is-a-poem.htm. Thank you, Randy
Posted 04/22/2020 04:33 PM
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BAMars:
I agree with Larry Schug. Excellent poem.
Posted 04/22/2020 02:43 PM
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paradea:
A fine poem.
Posted 04/22/2020 09:18 AM
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cork:
I will be thinking about the dark sky.
Posted 04/22/2020 09:10 AM
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michael escoubas:
Thank you William, for the provocative poem.
Posted 04/22/2020 08:30 AM
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Larry Schug:
Deftly written. So much inside so little.
The interplay of light in the twinkling windows and darkness in the sky s done very skillfully. I will read this poem over and over for its intrinsic value as well as a lesson on writing good poetry.
Posted 04/22/2020 07:52 AM
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