Round Up
A poem about pesticides and powerlessness.
Sometimes I wonder what evidence it will take.
Sometimes, between dodging rounds of flying bullets,
Or fleeing the toxic spew of chemicals, or even crawling
Out of the forest fire burning my future,
I wonder what evidence it will take
To change those lead-poisoned minds of the spiritless folks
Gone white with the privilege of age.
.
I wonder how many tongues will have to swell and stick
From the pesticides and unspoken words of loathing
Before the banging fists of science sway hands calloused
From choking out life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
How many decades will pass before the slaughter turns itself around,
And declares war on the steady hands
Reloading the smoking gun?
.
Too many.
It is a toxic pastime to fill the bottle, hook it to the hose,
And grin as the pretty little things scream.
It is a hobby to mutilate, to destroy, to behead flowers.
I will not step up to the plate and take your sword.
I will not apologize, kneel under the guillotine,
And stare into the bucket, let my words quiet to soothe them.
.
Please brake for snakes, watch for deer, and let the turtles cross
But remember to dump your poisons into the water
And slaughter the little yellow signs of life in your ward.
Keep an eye out for the rebounding hawks and eagles
So that you can shoot them down again in the morning,
Feed on their carcasses and let their sick offspring be the problem
Of a generation deemed weak for caring.
.
The world was your oyster and now it is a dried-up,
Parched desert full of your carefully placed landmines.
I am weak for walking through the explosions
To set free the flying things you deemed worthless.
But my spine is no less rigid for it.
Someday, I swear, you will come to me and try to compress it
And find that it does not yield to you.
About the Creator
Silver Serpent Books
Writer. Interested in all the rocks people have forgotten to turn over. There are whole worlds under there, you know. Dark ones too, even better.
Reader insights
Nice work
Very well written. Keep up the good work!
Top insight
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Comments (12)
This entire piece was so incredibly meaningful yet saddening, and then those last three lines dropped. Incredible, stand-out writing! Loved that you shared these words. Congrats on TS :)
Congrats on Top Story!🥳🥳🥳
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Very edgy and expressive...Loved it, and Congrats! I absolutely loved this line: -I wonder how many tongues will have to swell and stick From the pesticides and unspoken words of loathing Before the banging fists of science sway hands calloused From choking out life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. - 😮 I also wonder that, now that you've written it. Great work!
I forgot to congratulate you on TS!
You are kin to me! Ban Monsanto and their poisons. Protect wildlife, plants, forests, keep the GMO away! Wonderful expression of all of this in your fabulous poem!!
Powerful poetry!
Yes, yes, a million times Yes! Congrats on the TS. 👏👏
Congrats! Very good thoughts.
Congrats on Top Story!
Very well said. Wow. Congratulations on your top story
Very thought provoking and convicting. Another example of your excellent wordsmithing!