Earth
"A planet doesn't explode of itself," said drily
The Martian astronomer, gazing off into the air --
"That they were able to do it is proof that highly
Intelligent beings must have been living there."
Commentary
What can one possibly add to a poem like that? :) I’ll content myself with quoting Wheelock on poetry:
“in poetry, words are employed more as an end, and less as a means merely, than is the case with prose.”
Biographical Snippet:
John Wheelock (1886 - 1978) American Poet
Strangely enough, while there are several of Wheelock’s poems online, and a number of quotations, I was unable to find a biography.
Links
A few vaguely-related poems:
For a somewhat less self-assured Martian view of humanity, see poem #131 On ‘highly intelligent beings’: poem #57
And the same theme explored from some other angles: poem #222, poem #223
And while there are other poems to which this could be related I’ll leave you the pleasure of making the connections yourself.
— Martin
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From the Wondering Minstrels mailing list, 1999–2008.
Suresh Ramasubramanian · 19 May 2000
Ouch. This is the best bit of sarcasm I’ve ever come across - that it rhymes is just the icing on the cake :)
s
mallika · 22 May 2000
1.American author and poet; held various positions at Charles Scribner’s Sons publishing firm, including editor and director. 2.Notably eastern in his education and tendencies, John Hall Wheelock was born on Long Island, was graduated from Harvard where he was class poet, and later studied in the universities of Göttingen, Berlin and Vienna. Since then he has been on the staff of one of the large New York publishers. His verses are musical, sweeping and often vociferous, though in his later moods he has lapsed into quieter measures. An almost passionate love of life and beauty is apparent, contrasting with his tall, brooding, silent figure.
Alisonetaylortwp · 15 September 2001
9/15/01
I just returned home from viewing the ruins of the World Trade Center. I sat down at the computer to try to find something to cheer myself up. I thought of looking up my dear childhood friend, Mr. Wheelock, and was delighted to find this site. It would make him very happy to learn that his works had been remembered, and that people around the world could find out about him by using this fascinating medium.
Thanks for lifting my spirits, and his, in whatever garden he now inhabits.
Ali Taylor
Alisonetaylortwp · 31 December 2001
I wanted to tell Mallika that Uncle Jack wasn’t “brooding and silent.” Although at the end of his life he was troubled by deafness and it was harder for him to take part in general conversation, he retained his interest in life and his wonderful sense of humor. He was particularly funny because he could deliver a story or joke with a completely deadpan expression, looking rather like a cross between an owl and a university professor. I could hear his jokes and stories over and over, and find them funny every time!
JerTheBearChevy1 · 14 November 2003
It’s what I think is a very wierd but good poem indeed.
Jerry R. Wheelock
The Wilds · 30 August 2005
What would you say the differences in tone are between this poem and “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost.
Please, email me
MKB · 2 April 2008
I have only known JHWs poem Random Reflections on a Summer Evening and love it dearly. Lately I have been living some in Vermont’s northeast kingdom and wonder, or shoould I say assume, there is a connection. Thanks for the information…
Marcel Black