By Gary Snyder

It comes blundering over the
Boulders at night, it stays
Frightened outside the
Range of my campfire
I go to meet it at the
Edge of the light

By Gary Snyder

Lay down these words

        Before your mind like rocks.

                  placed solid, by hands

        In choice of place, set

        Before the body of the mind

                  in space and time:

        Solidity of bark, leaf or wall

                  riprap of things:

        Cobble of milky way,

                  straying planets,

        These poems, people,

                  lost ponies with

        Dragging saddles --

                  and rocky sure-foot trails.

        The worlds like an endless 

                  four-dimensional

        Game of Go.

                  ants and pebbles

        In the thin loam, each rock a word

                  a creek-washed stone

        Granite: ingrained

                  with torment of fire and weight

        Crystal and sediment linked hot

                  all change, in thoughts,

        As well as things.

For All   

Ah to be alive
on a mid-September morn
fording a stream
barefoot, pants rolled up,
holding boots, pack on,
sunshine, ice in the shallows,
northern rockies.

Rustle and shimmer of icy creek waters
stones turn underfoot, small and hard as toes
cold nose dripping
singing inside                                          
creek music, heart music,
smell of sun on gravel.

I pledge allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the soil
of Turtle Island,
and to the beings who thereon dwell
one ecosystem
in diversity
under the sun
With joyful interpenetration for all.

In the poem “For All”, Gary Snyder, describes an island he finds particularly enjoyable. Snyder tells about walking in the creek waters and feeling joyful. He tells about the different smells on the island, like the smell of “sun on gravel.” (line 6-2^nd stanza). Snyder writes the poem as a pledge of allegiance to the Island. He writes “I pledge allegiance to the soil/ of Turtle Island,/ and to the beings who thereon dwell/ one ecosystem/ in diversity/ under the sun/ with joyful interpenetration for all.” In these lines, Snyder uses the form of the Pledge of Allegiance, but instead of pledging allegiance to America, he pledges allegiance to Turtle Island, because of it’s beauty and tranquility. He uses description and detail to tell the reader about his faithfulness to the island. He tells about all the great aspects of the island in great detail instead of just saying “I love this island. It’s a great place to go to relax”, again showing his devotion and liking for the island.  In his poem, Snyder tells us to appreciate the small things in our lives, like a creek we walk in on an island that we love, or a familiar smell that gives us a type of comfort and safety. In his poem, Snyder also talks about how happy he is just to be alive, and how much he loves something as small as shimmering waters in a creek or a crisp September morning. This poem teaches people to not only look for the good things in life, but to be happy with them also. As the poet tells about the great island, he is also teaching us to be notice the small things in life and he is reminding us how many times people take them for granted.

After scanning its face again and again,
I began to scale it, picking my holds
With intense caution. About half-way
To the top, I was suddenly brought to
A dead stop, with arms outspread
Clinging close to the face of the rock
Unable to move hand or foot
Either up or down. My doom
Appeared fixed. I MUST fall.
There would be a moment of
Bewilderment, and then,
A lifeless rumble down the cliff
To the glacier below. My mind seemed to fill with a
Stifling smoke. This terrible eclipse
Lasted only a moment, when life blazed
Forth again with preternatural clearness.
I seemed suddenly to become possessed
Of a new sense. My trembling muscles
Became firm again, every rift and flaw in
The rock was seen as through a microscope,
My limbs moved with a positiveness and precision
With which I seemed to have
Nothing at all to do.

This poem is about a climber. The man is climbing a mountain and Gary Snyder describes his feelings and his actions. Snyder describes everything in detail, letting the reader then become the climber. I picked this poem because it is so descriptive.

On Top

All this new stuff goes on top
turn it over, turn it over
wait and water down
from the dark bottom
turn it inside out
let it spread through
Sift down even.
Watch it sprout.

A mind like compost.

This poem is about a mind – how every time you learn something new it lands on top of the old memories and equations in your mind. This poem describes how each new memory finds its place somewhere amongst the old memories. I like this poem because it talks about a normal subject- thinking- but it makes it really interesting.