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Friday, April 09, 2010

CONTAMINATED MUDSLIDE

Poem by Charles Frederickson; Graphic by Saknarin Chinayote


Whole villages slither by downhearted
Desperate needy souls without recourse
Abandoned huts cling to hillsides
Knee deep red clay slicks

Stray dogs buried under rubble
Cherished family heirlooms grime infested
Pet songbird trapped behind bars
Gold cage exposing blackened ribs

Picking up bits smashed pieces
Of beloved lives devastatingly lost
Decomposed bodies clear tarpaulin mummies
Unceremoniously dumped mass grave victims

Rancid stench permeating burial mounds
Grief-stricken anxiously trying to cope
Calloused digging soiled rotting debris
Tragic avalanche reeking sorrowful guilt

Triggered flash floods preceded disaster
Sheer bluff came crashing down
Shaky grip cliff hangers-on gritty survivors
Struggle to rebuild eroded future

Saggy tightrope power lines sputter
Hissing current fizzles aspirations crushed
Tattered album scavenged layered refuse
Worthless rubbish glossy memories dulled


No Holds Bard Dr. Charles Frederickson & Saknarin Chinayote together comprise PoeArtry. Flutter Press has just published Charles’ new chapbook fanTHAIsies.
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