This poem comes from Autumn Leaves:

From Ming Dynasty

To urbane travesty,

Ancient pyramids,

Ages untold.

Mysteries beneath the sea,

Treasures beyond measure,

Yet all that glitters is not gold.

Old wisdom,

New wisdom,

Colors broken by a prism.

Rainbows cast in a cloudy sky.

Men haggle, question, and reason,

Searching the horizon for why.

A diamond in the rough is not enough.

Infinitesimal reaches of space,

Men scurry and race

To conquer and know the unknown,

Striving to be first,

To quench the unquenchable thirst

Of knowledge —

Or is it greed? —

Which pushes men toward the stars.

The well-worn shoe now cramps the foot.

Radio and television

Have created an invasion

Into history and lifestyles

With forceful persuasion.

Minds spoon-fed such

A diet of sensation

Soon lose innovation

And imagination.

A rose picked from the vine quickly loses its beauty.