Children of the Chemical Wars
I am a child of the chemical wars--
I’ve seen everyday people
Spray the ground and wind with poison
To keep the bugs away
At bay
We’ve grown to hate Them
Even though the insects help pollinate the plants to
Fertilize
Grow
Feed
I’ve seen US crops dosed by white clouds of a toxic powdery breeze
Same substances used to bring the Vietnamese people to their knees
when our government destroyed their jungles during the Vietnam War
Then carefully harvested and boxed, these tainted food crops are sent off to
Families
Neighbors
Stores
I’ve seen men grab their heads in agony over loss of
Memory
Livelihoods
Life
Standing slumped over
Sickly cattle
Dying children
Cancer riddled wives
Yet, they still load their
Planes
Trucks
Containers
to spray
to manicured lawns
to mist the mosquitoes away
to make sure weeds don’t come back after long rainy days
I’ve seen birds with halfcocked heads
wobbling on sidewalks and into streets
Hoping for a fatal blow to release
I hear their mournful songs and fading cries
begging for relief from this polluted ensnared net of sky
I’ve seen bees disoriented toiling on pavement
Falling off flowers and too weak to take flight
Unable to find their way back to honeycombed beehives
Often returning only to find
a home empty of a queen with no bees in sight
I’ve seen soil
Dry
Dead
Drenched
in hazardous liquids and the color of sand
Next to dirt in its natural state teaming with life beautifully grand
with organic edible fresh fruits and vegetables growing
Sustenance one needs for the brain to work and blood to keep flowing
For understanding and learning to occur=true knowing
We are the soldiers of the chemical wars
Unknowingly enlisted
With every spray bottle and can in our hands and dollars
Spent
Hoarded
Fisted
With all of the perfection our made-up society demands
and every choice that we as individuals make about our land
Another generation is at risk
Exposed
Destined to get sick
Are we blind?
Our minds too clouded
poisoned and wounded to know
that all the
Chaos
Destruction
Killings
are happening because of our desire to maintain the status quo?
Have all of us resigned
to accept the norm of these Corporate dominated times?
Seems we’ve become comfortable living lives with heads foggy and hazy
as the outside world watches as our country deteriorates slipping into chaos and crazy
Take a look around you—
Right now!
The cancer is spreading like a gnarled root in the ground
Who will care for all those touched by this fate
if each must carry a cross of illnesses baring such heavy weights?
How much more loss can we take?
How many more people will have to get sick and die?
How much longer can we wait?
We cry for others to hear but each turns away in disbelief
So, we can all continue to run from the truth and hide our grief
But when the world can no longer contain its pain
and the ashes come trickling down like acid rain
and we are all forced to recognize the poor choices of ours as women and men
What will we say then?
What will we do then?
Stop Fighting!