On the tenth anniversary of the refinery fire
We stand at the gates choking on our outrage, on our grief
On the tenth anniversary of the refinery fire
We stand at the gates crying out in condemnation and sorrow
Crying out at the spike in children’s asthma and other lung diseases
In communities nearby and wherever refineries stew their toxic brew
Crying out against carbonized greed on a planetary scale
Greed that turns health into sickness, life into death
Our ancient cry rises out of the Mesozoic past
Out of vast moldering swamps and marshes
Out of epic decay and decomposition and disintegration
Out of life’s incessant transformation and rebirth
The dinosaurs cry out
“Do not use our bodies this way!”
The children cry out
“Do not treat our bodies this way!”
The birds and fish and mammals and bugs cry out
“Do not disregard our bodies this way!”
And loudest of all, the great silent Earth whispers in the spinning darkness
“This is our only body.”
On the tenth anniversary of the refinery fire
We stand at the gates crying out, crying out, crying out . . .
