The Poem: Thanks for Nothing

Bill’s piece reminds me so much of freedom and is a perfect example of less being more. The absence of clutter is refreshing. He uses the word “purity” with no additional explanation necessary except for rain water. The reader imagines rain water like a refreshing mountain stream (at least this reader does). — Beacon Poetry Editor Billy Hands

Thanks for Nothing

by Bill Batcher

for the silence of a snowy day
for the purity of rain water
for the emptiness of a cloudless sky
for odor-free fresh air
for the smoothness of a polished stone
for a day without problems, fights,
for a mind with no distractions
Thanks for Nothing

Bill Batcher, a retired public school teacher with a doctorate from Teachers College at Columbia University, is the winner of numerous poetry awards. His most recent book is 2016’s “The Storytellers,” which tells stories of the Civil War.

The Beacon is accepting poetry submissions at poetry@eastendbeacon.com. Don’t be shy!