This is Throwback Thursday #201.  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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We’ve featured the poems of Charles Schweitzer a few times in the past.  In Throwback Thursday #59, we looked at “The Rock Pile”, TBT #73 was “The Rockhound’s Wish”, and TBT #98 was “The Rock I Threw Away”.  Most recently was TBT #177 “The Rockhounds Creed”.  All of these appear in his book of poems titled “Rhymes of the Rockhounds”, which was published in the mid 1950’s.

This Charles G, Schweitzer poem appeared in the February 1963 edition of the newsletter.  It’s called “He Gave Me A Rock”.

“HE GAVE ME A ROCK”

by

Charles G. Schweitzer

He gave me a rock; it was dirty and rough,
     Small promise of beauty or worth.
“I think you will find it a beautiful stone,
     Tho it looks like a piece of plain earth.”

I took it and cut it and polished it well,
     More beauty each moment revealed;
At last it was finished, and there was displayed
     The splendor its rough coat concealed.

I thought of the donor; some say he is crude,
     His language at times a bit rough;
But if I need help, I know where I’ll turn
     And be sure to get more than enough.

He often is careless of necktie and hat,
     And seldom wears clothes that are new;
But under it there, ‘neath the roughness and all
     Beats a heart that is kindly and true.