Saturday 20 May 2017

Dentistry


​The subject for this month's Open Mic is 'teeth'. This poem is directed at the ivory trade but could equally apply to the destruction of many other animal and plant species around the world.

Dentistry

The grass here is lush this year
where last t'was trodden down.
The soil this year is richer here
since poachers bought them down.
Amidst the grass great boulders lie
that were not here before;
before the crack and thump,
the panga's* ring and chainsaw's roar
that soaked the soil in pools of gore.
All that's left of them this year;
white boulders strewn in rich grass
and the sound of distant pianos.

John Carré Buchanan
19 May 2017


* A panga is another name for a machete.

If you click on the link below you can listen to me read this poem.



This poem is linked to Poets United.

20 comments:

  1. So sad, to think of the blood soaked earth.........

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  2. "pools of gore."...That's what some humans are capable of doing. Ugh.

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    1. Thanks for your comment Sumana. Unfortunately, most humans are capable of doing it. Too many Humans do do it and most humans don't really care enough to do anything about it. As sad indictment, but true!

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  3. Power. Full. What price the lushness of the land meant to be dry? Glory, what a poem!

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    1. Hi Susan, Thanks for your comment. It is such a tragedy.

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  4. This breaks my heart. I don't understand humankind oftentimes. To think that some would think killing such wonderful creatureswould be justifiable makes me shake my head in sadness.

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    1. Hi Mary, thank you for your comment. It is something I will never get my head around.

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  5. A powerful and sad tale indeed. Thank you for sharing this John.

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  6. I shiver at the thought of the activity this one's about. Sad and inhumane.

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    1. Hi J.T, thanks for your comment. I wonder about calling it inhuman, at its core it seems to be the essence of humanity!

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  7. We enjoy our excursions to the zoo and animal park in Uganda. Poaching continues on as we see a decrease of lions, elephants, white rhino. Man does not consider what it would be like if his teeth were of more value than his hide.

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    1. So true Leslie, thank you for your kind comment.

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  8. Powerful and excellently written about much needed awareness to stop these poachers

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    1. Hi Marja, thank you for your kind comment. Stopping the demand for the products the poachers take would be a really good place to start.

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  9. Vividly evoked, in all its sad horror.

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  10. Replies
    1. Hi MMT, Sadly so do I :( Thanks for your comment.

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