Poet's Corner

SPILL '89

By Geri McGahan Litzen, Nikiski

Editor's note: This poem was written after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and, with the Gulf spill in the news, was recently submitted.

Our land is silent

it's pride is maimed

our otters are corpses

will no one be blamed

it's people are idle

strong hands are at rest

emotions are scrambled

will no one confess? ...

to the horror confronting

our quivering souls

that's haunting our sleep

and halting our goals

they've raped us before

but it wasn't enough

they've come back for more

and it's gonna get rough

we made our living

we fished hard and fair

they've taken that from us

but they didn't stop there

they've mangled our pride

and made us feel weak

they've stolen our hope

they play hide and don't seek

they hand out fake promises

then do as they please

they're shuffling papers

while Alaska sinks to it's knees

Poems must include the writer's name, phone number and address. They should be kept to no more than 300 words. Submission of a poem does not guarantee publication. Poems may be e-mailed to news@peninsulaclarion.com, faxed to 283-3299, delivered to the Clarion at 150 Trading Bay Road or mailed to P.O. Box 3009, Kenai, AK 99611.