UNDER THE ROCK, POEMS FROM A VALLEY.

By Frank Beidler Cornell '31.Winona (Minn.): The Valley Press. 20 pp.$1.50.

In the 19 poems in this booklet printed on good paper with a modest blue cover, the theme is nature with emphasis on seasons and the delights each offers, and some of the sadnesses. One finds references to birds (thrushes, wrens, and warblers), "clover scented hay," a thin calf lurching towards its mother, chipmunks and partridges, hornets and spiders - all enabling the poet to adjust to his illusions and realities. Sun and moonlight play appropriate roles.

One of the best poems with a title playing on words, "Lines on the Power Line," describes the ease with which birches and dogwood are annihilated by power saws operated by men wearing "tee shirts crudded with sweaty grime," who go about their job joking and cursing. Instead of ending on a despairing note, the poet avoids overdone pathos by concluding with light touch and ironic observation that all this destruction would result in electricity coming his way. "I shall press a small button and see soft artificial radiances shine."