Man has forever tried to conquer the Earth
And claim it as his.
Consider the City:
Culmination of Man’s efforts,
Evidence of Man’s efficiency,
Witness to Man’s power over Nature.
But Nature resists;
Man must work to achieve:
With lever and pulley,
With muscle and steam,
With oil and atoms,
Man harnesses nature
To make Her his own.
He wrenches out secrets
She reluctantly reveals.
And in return,
He turns it against Her:
Man levels Her mountains,
Dams up Her streams,
And fills in Her seas.
The straining of cables,
The grinding of gears
Reminds Man
Progress is not free.
Each ache, each pain,
Each frazzled brain
Pays but the interest.
Yet, Man will not win.
Look
There, in a sidewalk crack:
A blade of grass.
Nature has begun to reclaim
What has always been Hers.
