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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