I have a twisted sistah in the Marcellus who reminds us that April is poetry month.
17 Ways to Look at Pipeline Spills (with apologies to Wallace Stevens)
Last year, in the US alone, there were 364 spills from pipelines. This year, as of February 28, there have been 41 reports of spills – 70% of which were caused by failure of materials, welding, or equipment – racking up damage costs of more than $3 million.
Here’s mine in honor of poetry month
Bitumen (with apologies to Carl Sandburg)
The black death slithers silently
like a snake.
It slimes
through the forest and village
into the water with it’s putrid stench
and lethal venom.
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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Nice poem! A while back, we remarked (with thanks to Wallace Stevens) Enbridge’s attempts at “pipeline pastoral”: http://grangehallpress.com/Enbridgeblog/2012/11/10/last-weeks-freep-ad/
don’t forget ee’s contribution:
in Just-
spring when pipelines spew bit-
umilicious the puny
lame regulators
handcuff whistleblowers
far and wee,
spurn journalists and
residents alike
block the roads and
say the water is
OK to drink and bathe and
should your children be born goat-
footed
take it up with EXXON
Sue Heavenrich recently posted..17 Ways to Look at Pipeline Spills (with apologies to Wallace Stevens)
Oops we spilled – someone tell EPA
It’s their turn now to come and play,
Try Not to be rude;
but this isn’t the crude,
…..and this time we don’t have to pay!
Loves it! Thank you for playing.
Oh gurgling black goo,
You ooze and bubble…
slowly
Coating streets and yards
you now call home,
deserted!
No longer dilute,
your benzene fragrance
wafted
Left you
In a swimming pool:
an Exxon bird bath!