Norfolk Southern

A writer-activism poem about the Palestine, Ohio train derailment disaster

Norfolk Southern

Floating death stench rises
lands… rivers… befouled
push freight train profit prizes
Acrid air in a mushroom cloud howled

Hope slipping sideways
pushed by greed-fueled grasping
burning the world all their days
disdaining children left gasping

Cold rain like heartache
masking tears of sorrow
for a world’s people at stake
destroying all our tomorrows

Reviews

[Bhuyanshi Talukdar]

Your poem is a powerful and poignant commentary on the state of the world today. The way you describe the "floating death stench" and "acrid air in a mushroom cloud" is particularly striking, as it suggests a sense of danger and foreboding that is hard to ignore. I appreciate the way you use language to convey a sense of urgency and desperation, as in the line "hope slipping sideways, pushed by greed-fueled grasping." The final stanza, where you describe the "cold rain like heartache" and the destruction of our future, is especially moving, as it speaks to the devastating impact that our actions are having on the planet and on future generations. Overall, I think this poem is a powerful call to action, and I hope that it inspires others to take steps to protect the planet and create a better future for all of us.

[MomzillaNC]

Thank you for your erudite critique.

[Vol]

MomZ,
After all the empty, talking heads, the self-aggrandizing politicians, the activists, the effected population, et. al. You in just one poem have said more than all of them put together. The saddest thing, is this context will be forgotten but repeated endlessly... who gives a minute to the Exxon Valdez? We will always find a way to cut off our own feet when there is a journey to make...
Vol

[MomzillaNC]

"Cut off our own feet when there is a journey to make…" A profound assessment. Thanks.

[Relic]

I think as months and years pass, we will see just how bad it was. Norfolk Southern cared more about greed - stock buybacks and lobbying to put off safety measures instead of the well-being of citizens. Let's see how long it will be before cancer hits Palestine in droves.

[MomzillaNC]

I know you're right. It's heartbreaking and infuriating. But, you're right.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Pfft! This is a perfect example as to why government and big business should not be in bed with one another. The American people always lose.

[MomzillaNC]

It's definitely an example of why lobbying must receive more oversight. And, why lobbyists shouldn't go to work for the agencies for which the formerly lobbied against.

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

well this is very ominus. It sent a chill dowb my spine

[MomzillaNC]

Thanks so much

[Chris Shaw]

I heard about this derailment in Ohio on the news. Such carnage and lives lost. I can not imagine the devastation to people and environment caused by a disaster of this magnitude. I am unsure as to the cause and hope it was an accident and not an act of deliberate violence. You convey your lines well here.

[MomzillaNC]

Thanks!

The derailment seems to be an accident from the reporting I've seen. But, it's an accident made worse by the undercutting of safety regulations, pushed and lobbied for by Norfolk Southern.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you for the additional info. Sad to hear about undercutting of safety regs.

[MomzillaNC]

It's been on the agenda of rightwingers for decades. They just got rather a lot of it under the tangerine titan toddler.

[Chris Shaw]

Ha, love that description.

[MomzillaNC]

😉 😎

[willweb]

Assuming this is about the train derailment in Ohio? I actually went through one of these many, many years ago. My neighborhood's entrance was right across the road from train track. A train derailed one afternoon there and a very similar thing happened like Ohio. Not really sure at this point what chemical was released, but we were evacuated for several days and none of it was pleasant. It is sad what is happening there and sad that it has been politicized so badly. Nice poem though. Sorry, I didn't mean to go off like that.

Ok, I just read your note at the top, which I should have done first. No assumption now. : )

[MomzillaNC]

Thanks. And, the poem is intended to spark a necessary conversation. We've let the railroads and corporate America run roughshod over us all for far too long -- and on our dime too!