April Eco-Poetry: Earth Keeper
by Janine Bedon, Communications Manager at The Good Table
Book Highlight
April is both Earth Month and National Poetry Month, so in honor of these two celebrations, I’d like to share with you a poetry book that contemplates on our ecological legacy to future generations.
Earth Keeper: Reflections on the American Land, by N. Scott Momaday, is written in free verse and interspersed with art that Momaday created himself. The book is split in two parts: “Dawn” and “Dusk.” “Dawn” is the first part, where he recollects childhood memories in Oklahoma and the earth-centric consciousness instilled in him by his Kiowa heritage. Meanwhile, the verses of “Dusk” lament what was lost and what we will lose if we continue to sever our connection to the earth. Spiritual in its essence, the Kirkus review for the book describes each verse as “almost like prayers to the natural world.”
“Will I give my children an inheritance of the earth?
Or will I give them less than I was given?”
Earth Keeper is available to buy online or to borrow through the Contra Costa County Library. It is also available as an e-book and as an e-audiobook.
What’s on your Earth/Poetry Month to-read list? Let us know on our Facebook page or through our Instagram!
“Celebrant” by N. Scott Momaday, Earth Keeper page 13