The poem&pics are below the fold, but first, please see Eileen's diary:
* PICS of Oil-Soaked Wildlife (may you keep those dark images in your mind's eye)
And...
* I keep thinking about those Sperm Whales ...
Oil Spill to Wipe Out Gulf's Sperm Whales?
If the Gulf of Mexico oil spill kills just three sperm whales, it could seriously endanger the long-term survival of the Gulf's native whale population, scientists say.
Right now between 1,400 and 1,660 sperm whales live year-round in the Gulf of Mexico, making up a distinct population from other Atlantic Ocean groups, in which males make yearly migrations.
All sperm whales are considered endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. But the Gulf of Mexico population is thought to be especially vulnerable due to its relatively small size.
~ Humanity, what hast thou wrought ~
i would speak to thee,
of this tragedy of tragedies,
the death of a species,
the death untold, unseen, unheard,
the silent death under the sea,
our so very precious sea,
our lifeblood,
our mother ocean,
our heart and soul,
i would speak to thee and thine,
of this dark black season,
when the black blood flowed,
when the earth cried black tears,
when the black poison killed our gulf,
when the blackness filled our water,
when the lies within foolish lies,
the lie of flagrant negligence,
criminal negligence,
when the earth was wounded core,
i would speak to thee, dear BP,
of your sacred onus, of your sacred obligation,
of the sacred care of the soul of our sea,
the soul of humanity for time immemorial,
our dear, so very dear, precious sea,
it dies this day, dear sirs, dear ladies,
it dies while you stand silent,
the life so dear that dies in your blindness,
i would speak to thee, dear friends, dear humanity,
i would speak to thee, of our mark and legacy,
i would speak to thee, of the life within, lost,
once upon a time, we walked upon
simple land, the simple shore,
the tender shore,
the seashells white and gray and orange,
the stones and sand,
children playing upon the sand,
gone and all gone, dead,
think on this and these, dear friends,
dear sirs, dear ladies,
... think on this ...
~ Arthur ~
There is a saying that:
"Speech is silver, silence is golden."
But when you are engaged in a struggle, the opposite is true.
Then:
"Speaking out is golden and silence is defeat."
--Daisaku Ikeda --
* UPDATE *
Cardshark, thank you for the grammar correction:
-- Humanity, what hath thee wrought ...
became ...
-- Humanity, what hast thou wrought ...
REC LIST COMMENT (being my first):
Thank you all, most dearly, most kindly, most deeply, it is an honor of honors, to be amongst you all, and to have my words be counted amongst those whose I have cherished, watched, read, studied, learned from, commented on, and come to champion, over and over again, proud to call myself a kossack ~ (the awakened electorate, as Obama spoke of, many years ago) ~ the vanguard of a new age, an age of caring, an age of speaking one's heart, the courage to speak truth to power, the heart to do what is necessary to change the course of our nation, to change the course of humanity, to change the course of our planet, itself ~ I pray we learn from this dark day and see that such dark careless acts do not ever happen again, not on our watch ~ I pray this day ~ as the black (oil) tears flow ...