Thursday, April 22, 2010

And no birds sing (Poem for Earth Day)

And no birds sing


discard makes a home
where no birds sing

force-halting spring

robins catbirds doves and jays
fey voices stuttered ends become

for hand unseen some starlings vie
but cardinals unfavored quiet-die

the blame their share for joys disposed

mountains we claimed, unearthed
stripped bare  the life once wild

now humbled harmed and broken

rivers plastic floes consumed
their mouths a gum of chemicals

run-off to brew the silence final-formed

no habitat unborn untouched
and no birds sing

© 2010 Maureen E. Doallas. All Rights Reserved.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

the quiet words are screaming

Kathleen Overby said...

The whole earth groans. The plastic soup, the bacterial mat, and this of which you speak must break the heart of the Artist. Rain no longer washes us clean. Maranatha.

sarah said...

an appropriate poem for this day this year, sadly.

Anonymous said...

Maryann said ...

The universe is sobbing. Humanity needs to listen.

L.L. Barkat said...

Mmmmm.

(that's what came out of my mouth when I reached the last word. You capture the unspeakable with your words.)

S. Etole said...

what an aching sound is the absence of bird song ...