Map
A hill, a farm,
A forest, and a valley.
Half a hill plowed, half woods.
A forest valley and a valley field.
Sun passes over;
Two solstices a year
Cow in the pasture
Sometimes a deer
A farmhouse built of wood.
A forest built of bones.
The high field, hawks
The low field, crows
Wren in the brambles
Frogs in the creek
Hot in summer
Cold in snow
The woods fade and pass.
The farm goes on.
The farm quits and fails
The woods creep down
Stocks fall you can’t sell corn
Big frost and tree-mice starve
Who wins who cares?
The woods have time.
The farmer has heirs.
by Gary Snyder
from Left Out in the Rain
North Point Press