This is Throwback Thursday #59.  In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general.  If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc …), please send them to esconi.info@gmail.com.  Thanks!

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In the October 1962 edition of the ESCONI newsletter “The Earth Science News”, a poem called “The Rock Pile” by Charles Schweitzer of Temple City, CA appeared on page 6..  It’s an interesting little poem that hints at the relaxation and restorative powers of rock collecting.  This is not the only poem written by Charles that ESCONI published.  We did a little research to see if he was a member and it turns out he wrote poems that were originally published in the Los Angeles Lapidary Society’s newsletter.  And, there is a book of his various poems!  The book is called “Rhymes of the Rockhounds” and was published around 1956.

Sit back relax and enjoy “The Rock Pile”…

The Rock Pile

I’ll tell you what I often do,

When I am tired or feeling blue:

I like to take a chair or box,

And sit beside my pile of rocks.

I get a thrill as I begin

To think of places I have been

To gather these, my treasures here,

In various spots both far and near.

Although I’ve sat here oft before,

Each time I find in this rock store

Some hidden gem I did not see,

Which somehow hid itself from me.

You’d be surprised the peace of mind

This simple act helps me to find.

So I advise you, when you are blue,

To do this thing I often do.

You’ll find relief from toil and care.

You’ve left them at the rockpile there.

– Charles Schweitzer