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Thursday, July 15, 2010

SEE IT, SMELL IT, FEEL IT

by George Held


I went down to the Gulf shore
To see the oil and smell the oil
From the BP leak

I saw the oil in the marsh grass
And smelled the oil in the water
From the BP leak

I saw the oil-coated remains
Of a gull and smelled its carcass
From the BP leak

I saw the forlorn local folks
And smelled the stink of loss
From the BP leak

And what I saw and what I smelled
Made me feel the deepest rage
From the BP leak

That I have ever felt and I cursed
The company and the government
For the BP leak

And I cursed myself and all of us
Who let deep-water drilling result
In the BP leak

And I saw the oil come to Cape Cod
And I smelled it off Martha’s Vineyard
From the BP leak

Just in time for Christmas.


George Held has collected many of his New Verse News poems in The News Today.
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