This poem is composed entirely of lines from the book "The Grapes of Wrath" |
The Foundation of Manself Joad plodded along, dragging his cloud of dust behind him He came over the grass leaving a beaten trail behind, and the hill, reared up ahead of him. The causes are a hunger in the stomach, muscles and mind aching to grow When theories change and crash, man reaches, stumbles forward, painfully, mistaken sometimes . Joad pointed to the boundary fence, Joad’s eyes were inward on his memory. On the preachers face was not a look of prayer, but of thought, “An’ all of a suddent-I knew it. All men got one big soul ever’body’s a part of,” “We was holy when we was one thing, an’ mankin’ was holy when it was one thing.” the faces of the men lost their grayish shine. Joad’s face seemed to darken with the growing light . Strange things happen, some bitterly cruel and some so beautiful that the faith is refired forever. “Listen all the time. That’s why I been thinkin’. They’s an army of us without no harness.” “When ya think you can get ta work an’ quit thinking’ a spell,” said Tom The man looked at Joad. The light seemed to go far into his brown eyes, The Reverend Casy and young Tom stood on the hill and looked down, They hesitated on the edge of the shade and then they plunged into the yellow sunlight. The voices came out of the darkness, and Casy fell sideways out of the light. Joad’s eyes were sharp and interested too. Didn’ think I was even listenin,’ “thinkin’ about how our people livin’ like pigs, an’ the good and rich lan’ layin’ fallow, while a hundred thousan’ farmers is starvin’,” “Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. The families huddles together, listening to the pouring water on the roofs. “I can’t he’p it. Can’t keep it from you.” She lifted the pot and set it on the ground, A mound of children smothered the pot from sight. Rose of Sharon loosened one side of the blanket and bared her breast, and smiled mysteriously. And in a few days the hills were pale green with the beginning year. |