What is black

What is black?
Is it the confusion
in a starless night?
What is black?
Is it the envelope
surrounding a corpse?
What is black?
Maybe it is the color
of complete destruction.
What is black?
Does it reside in
the heart of greedy humans?
What is black?
Could it be the
complacency of commission?
What is black?
I will tell you,
open your eyes and see.
What is black?
It is the tar stain
upon Mother Natures breasts.
What is black?
It is the choking slick
upon the surface of creation.
What is black?
It is the oil that
gives reason to mendacious men.
What is black?
It is the killing field
in the marshes and bayous.
What is black?
It is the tragedy
contaminating our ocean’s life.
What is black?
It is the face of consumption,
it is the face of us.

©2012, Donald Harbour

Did you feed the beast today

The blackened earth lies exhausted,
It has become the parchment map of mankind.
Streams marked as fleshy cracked soot lines
Foot notes to human careless brutality.
A beast roars, baring its oil soaked fangs,
Consuming all that challenge it.
A loosed monster clawing at sacred life,
It is hungry and demanding to be fed.
The frailty of simple legions do battle,
With baggy armor, with puny tools,
Come to wage war against the dragon,
Clashing in conflict with Brigid’s spawn.
Thus the valiant warrior line is drawn,
Furrowed into Gaea’s rich bountiful sea,
Thrown into the oily coils of this hell.
Slimy tendrils choke the living elements,
This ancient incubus from the depths, copulating
With air, water, earth…Mother Nature violated.
The wail is not from joy, it is pain.
The writhing scales of its black body expand,
Whipping across azure blue, taunting.
It spills into the tidal pools of creation,
Searching, reaching, killing…it has wants.
In the end man will close its jaws,
Subdue and tame the creature,
Drowning it in its own vulnerability.
Gaining strength in its receding death,
The two legged water filled bags of skin,
They will learn from the serpent demise,
Until they are overcome by their arrogance,
Until next time it rises to the surface to feed.

©2011, Donald Harbour