State of the Planet!

I am typically not a fan of poetry and enjoy short stories and novels much better. Although I really enjoy the metaphors and figurative language used in poetry, I tend to be confused about the meaning and tone the author is trying to portray. I have never heard of Robert Haas prior to this blog post but I really enjoy his style of writing. A couple of his lines that really stood out to me are stated below.

“Poetry should be able to comprehend the earth.”
When I first read this, I had to go back a second time and reread it because I couldn't make any connections. Once I reread it, I was able to make the connections and read more into the phrase. Poetry is so complex and can have different meanings for different people. Although the author may have a centralized meaning, readers can take different things from it. For instance, a person who loves nature would definitely have a deeper connection with State of the Planet than someone who enjoys the city life. People also can have different views on earth and the life should be lived. Many people dedicate their lives to taking care of the earth while others chose not to and consider the side of the road to be there trash can. Also, many people dedicate their whole lives to the study the earth and its components while some doesn’t even know the difference between a tsunami and a hurricane. Both poetry and the earth are similar in their complexity.

“ Because the earth needs a dream of restoration.”
I feel as if the author is stating the whole purpose in this line. I feel as if he wants his readers to be concerned about the Earth and the damage that the human population is doing to it. He wants us to take action and use the resources that are available to us to save the planet.