I Become One Read online

  Children of the Chemical Wars

  I am a child of the chemical wars--

  I’ve seen everyday people

  Spray the ground and wind with poison

  To keep the bugs away

  At bay

  We’ve grown to hate Them

  Even though the insects help pollinate the plants to

  Fertilize

  Grow

  Feed

  I’ve seen US crops dosed by white clouds of a toxic powdery breeze

  Same substances used to bring the Vietnamese people to their knees

  when our government destroyed their jungles during the Vietnam War

  Then carefully harvested and boxed, these tainted food crops are sent off to

  Families

  Neighbors

  Stores

  I’ve seen men grab their heads in agony over loss of

  Memory

  Livelihoods

  Life

  Standing slumped over

  Sickly cattle

  Dying children

  Cancer riddled wives

  Yet, they still load their

  Planes

  Trucks

  Containers

  to spray

  to manicured lawns

  to mist the mosquitoes away

  to make sure weeds don’t come back after long rainy days

  I’ve seen birds with halfcocked heads

  wobbling on sidewalks and into streets

  Hoping for a fatal blow to release

  I hear their mournful songs and fading cries

  begging for relief from this polluted ensnared net of sky

  I’ve seen bees disoriented toiling on pavement

  Falling off flowers and too weak to take flight

  Unable to find their way back to honeycombed beehives

  Often returning only to find

  a home empty of a queen with no bees in sight

  I’ve seen soil

  Dry

  Dead

  Drenched

  in hazardous liquids and the color of sand

  Next to dirt in its natural state teaming with life beautifully grand

  with organic edible fresh fruits and vegetables growing

  Sustenance one needs for the brain to work and blood to keep flowing

  For understanding and learning to occur=true knowing

  We are the soldiers of the chemical wars

  Unknowingly enlisted

  With every spray bottle and can in our hands and dollars

  Spent

  Hoarded

  Fisted

  With all of the perfection our made-up society demands

  and every choice that we as individuals make about our land

  Another generation is at risk

  Exposed

  Destined to get sick

  Are we blind?

  Our minds too clouded

  poisoned and wounded to know

  that all the

  Chaos

  Destruction

  Killings

  are happening because of our desire to maintain the status quo?

  Have all of us resigned

  to accept the norm of these Corporate dominated times?

  Seems we’ve become comfortable living lives with heads foggy and hazy

  as the outside world watches as our country deteriorates slipping into chaos and crazy

  Take a look around you—

  Right now!

  The cancer is spreading like a gnarled root in the ground

  Who will care for all those touched by this fate

  if each must carry a cross of illnesses baring such heavy weights?

  How much more loss can we take?

  How many more people will have to get sick and die?

  How much longer can we wait?

  We cry for others to hear but each turns away in disbelief

  So, we can all continue to run from the truth and hide our grief

  But when the world can no longer contain its pain

  and the ashes come trickling down like acid rain

  and we are all forced to recognize the poor choices of ours as women and men

  What will we say then?

  What will we do then?

  Stop Fighting!