Death to a River

Threat to the river Shannon in Ireland. Dublin "the capital" plans to extract its water.

Death to a River

 

 

 

Her waters trickled downstream

Filled bays and flowed through reeds
Passed under many bridges

To meet at last the mighty sea

 

Host too a multitude of species

Fed nearby plants,shrubs and trees

Giver of life to all that met her
Serving one purpose all in need

A plan was made to siphon some

Millions of litres a day agreed

Piped to a storage facility inland

The results of poor planning and greed

 

No thoughts the residents of her

Just neglected thrown aside

Nothing for those along the shoreline

No benefit the localities told just lies

 

Once scenic views around her
Now stagnant pools reside

Vanished uninhabited tainted water

Everything robbed even pride

Plans to treat an outsourced capital

That has reached it perilous mass

Leaking more than they're consuming

Just how long more can it last

While the capital has raped her

No knowledge of her pain

Just kept the pipelines running

Until her soul was drained

Reviews

[David Marsden]

This is another powerful poem and a very clear meaning of greed. No matter what the polititions and corporate venturers tell us it usually ends up a matter of greed and corruption and this poem points that out. Then there's the sadness of loosing the river that has flowed since forever, all of nature that it fed and nurtured and all the beauty it showed. I like how you tell the story of the river from its vibrant life and its fulfilling purpose to its sad death.