the poison
moved
down
the
artery
towards
the wound
where
all
eyes
were
focussed
but
the poison
the silent
killer
was not seen
coursing its way
without repentance
trading profit in iowa
for gulf coast death
but no one talked of it
it was old news
dead zones
where life
was
no longer
possible
or
just a scene
from
h g wells’
island
of
dr moreau
You poems ALWAYS have a strong message… and you have a way to consistently and successfully bring it across!!! Kudos !!
Greed (for anything) gets people nowhere.. it’s time they (and all) realize this little fact…
Money (and I don’t just mean bills and coins) is just an object that simply keeps exchanging hands… it has no memory of its own, no feeling of its own, no sense of its own. If it did, even it would refuse to be exploited the way it is now… But we humans still don’t refuse, we still don’t care ! I wish we did!
Thanks for sharing such a beautiful poem with us all…
Have a beautiful weekend!
Glad to see not everybody has forgotten that we had massive dead zones in the Gulf long before the current oil spill … which will just add to the major problem. It is really starting to look like one of this country’s major food sources is rapidly declining. But nobody points it our so elegantly as YOU.
we
the people
woke up one morning
to find we had killed a sea
we woke up and made a decision
complacency and disaster or hard work
and hard choices with the redemption that we owe
the helpless animals and plants and our own helpless
grandchildren
“down the artery towards the wound where all eyes were focused”… love the intensity of this and how it could be interpreted in several ways…
at the bottom of the food chain, there is already evidence of the oil in the larvae between the shell and the soft tissue of the crab; and thus the broadening effect it will contribute to these dead zones… so sad I feel for our beautiful sea life…Heartspell
I just tried to respond to your next post, “Folding” and kept coming up with a message that this blog is no longer here and cannot be found. I hope you haven’t folded into yourself – I will miss your work if you have – you write one of the best, consistently, one of the absolute best. Please be just a temporary little hiccup and not a genuine folding.
Thank you for that poem. I like the way it looks–running down the page like the oil “spilled” as they call it, on the ocean. I live about 3 hours from the MS Gulf Coast. I feel it is a personal tragedy for Mississippi, especially when we have not recovered from Katrina yet!
Strong stuff as always. I so admire your work: there’s such conviction in everything you write, and you’re always tackling the big, difficult things so many of us shy away from. You’re an inspiration.
You tackle a such a hot political and environmental topic without ever taking a side. Your attention to the media’s views and the silent poison killer really captured the events unfolding. Great Piece.
Read Between the Minds 
Great poem, love the build up. H.G.Wells – Island of Dr Moreau, brilliant.
You poems ALWAYS have a strong message… and you have a way to consistently and successfully bring it across!!! Kudos !!
Greed (for anything) gets people nowhere.. it’s time they (and all) realize this little fact…
Money (and I don’t just mean bills and coins) is just an object that simply keeps exchanging hands… it has no memory of its own, no feeling of its own, no sense of its own. If it did, even it would refuse to be exploited the way it is now… But we humans still don’t refuse, we still don’t care ! I wish we did!
Thanks for sharing such a beautiful poem with us all…
Have a beautiful weekend!
Good job. And isn’t it the “without repentance” that is so galling?
This poem has a strong beat. The idea that this is old news is quite upsetting. Well done, another well written poem with a strong message.
Glad to see not everybody has forgotten that we had massive dead zones in the Gulf long before the current oil spill … which will just add to the major problem. It is really starting to look like one of this country’s major food sources is rapidly declining. But nobody points it our so elegantly as YOU.
we
the people
woke up one morning
to find we had killed a sea
we woke up and made a decision
complacency and disaster or hard work
and hard choices with the redemption that we owe
the helpless animals and plants and our own helpless
grandchildren
what is it to be?
Excellent topical choice. You get the point across very well. Great poem as usual!
“down the artery towards the wound where all eyes were focused”… love the intensity of this and how it could be interpreted in several ways…
at the bottom of the food chain, there is already evidence of the oil in the larvae between the shell and the soft tissue of the crab; and thus the broadening effect it will contribute to these dead zones… so sad I feel for our beautiful sea life…Heartspell
Very well done, slpmartin
Keep digging these truths up….no lack of them my friend,
Peace to you,
Laz
great stuff…its a nasty monster that once off that island is sure hard to get back there, if ever…
wonderful poem ty for sharing, your a well written poet 🙂
I just tried to respond to your next post, “Folding” and kept coming up with a message that this blog is no longer here and cannot be found. I hope you haven’t folded into yourself – I will miss your work if you have – you write one of the best, consistently, one of the absolute best. Please be just a temporary little hiccup and not a genuine folding.
Thank you for that poem. I like the way it looks–running down the page like the oil “spilled” as they call it, on the ocean. I live about 3 hours from the MS Gulf Coast. I feel it is a personal tragedy for Mississippi, especially when we have not recovered from Katrina yet!
Strong stuff as always. I so admire your work: there’s such conviction in everything you write, and you’re always tackling the big, difficult things so many of us shy away from. You’re an inspiration.
So creepy. It is mind boggling, like a visit to Dr. Moreau’s island. And I keep thinking, ‘how are we gonna get outta this one?’
You tackle a such a hot political and environmental topic without ever taking a side. Your attention to the media’s views and the silent poison killer really captured the events unfolding. Great Piece.