I wonder if in a future to come
We’ll ponder on the verb ‘to frack’
If our horizons will make us all glum
At the backbone that we lack
For want of a nail, the shoe falls off
For want of a mind, we act as one
We crumble, shake, allow others to scoff
And squander our Earth in pursuit of fun
My heart is hopeful, half-full is my glass
As protestors take a brave, strong stand
But I’m afraid we’ll fall on our collective ass
Swap morals for oil and sell off all our land!
———–
This week on dVerse, our Swedish bar-tender Bjorn wants us to write dagsvers, or daily verse, a journalistic form of poetry that (sadly) only seems to appear in Nordic newspapers. These poetic comments on current events, maybe with a touch of fun, are a wonderful idea! I’m afraid I’m not up to adding a cartoon style drawing to set off my sardonic little poem, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. And yes, I confess it is on the dark side of funny, but hey, you should know how I roll by now!
Please do go and visit the other wonderful poets who take part in the dVerse community and do, do, do comment! We all love a comment!
Freya Writes... 
Ah.. just imagine the inocent little word “frack”…. and not just that whatever we do beneath our soles… we bring yet more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.. a take that is worth put in poetry.
I know – ‘fracking’ seems so jokey, a little bit like a certain swear word, and therefore not to be taken seriously. But hydraulic fracturing sounds much more serious…..
Clever treatment of a significant issue that definitely has an impact on our future. Nicely written, too.
Thank you. I read today that judges in France have (again) voted for fracking to be illegal, after a challenge from an American company. Hurrah…
Thank God every generation seems to have its population of protestors.
Love this: “For want of a nail, the shoe falls off”
Indeed – imagine if a generation did not? I think that the world would indeed be lost, if that were the case. I’ve been on some protest marches in my time – I don’t intend to get quieter as I get older! I’m really glad you enjoyed my piece.
Great use of the word “frack”, and a commentary on what we do now, and how it affects our future.
Thank you, Lorri.
cool play on, for want of a nail…it fits well…fracking…ugh…we really need to consider alternative fuel sources that are enviro-safe…i hope we are looking back from a much better place and can just laugh at the word frack…ha.
Indeed we do. I would love to just laugh at the word in future, but I worry, I worry. Thank you as ever, Brian!
Personally I think fracking is insane. Your poem is a clever way of presenting such a contentious issue – It would be brilliant if you could get it published in one of those Swedish newspapers.
Insanity, absolutely! I can’t think of one redeeming feature of the activity, not one. I’m glad you enjoyed it – I’d better start learning Swedish…!
I wish this would be taken up by the newspapers especially around here (of course they never would, we know who write the checks for those hacks). You said it far better than I could!
Thank you, Gay. I do find it difficult to take newspapers seriously – gone are the days of independent journalism that is widely read, I’m afraid.
Cool…I am happy that your heart is hopeful and your glass half-full .
Thank you, Ayala.
Excellently said
Thank you.
oh i do hope as well that we manage to re-think things… we just cannot continue like we do at the moment and have to protect what our earth has to offer
Sometimes, I feel confounded, worrying where to start with it all. But then I visit my Mum, see her doing all the things she did back in the 1970s when it was radical – recycling, using teapot dregs to water plants, saving jars to re-use for her own jams and pickles – and I think, the tiniest step is worth it. Forty plus years of her efforts will surely have made a difference.
we bette rbe hopeful…nice lines..
Thank you. Yes, we need to hope, and act.
Like both the rhythm and the contents of this. Great job!
Thank you!
Unfortunately, as long as we continue to buy oil-based products, the rape of our land will continue.
I agree – and the word rape isn’t too strong, not at all.
I hunted three years ago in North Dakota, where fracking was really taking off. Even then, the night sky was lit with hellish fires from gasses being burned off at the wells. It was very eerie, and disturbing. Now, my friends up there tell me it’s much worse, a gold-rush kind of boom town atmosphere, and all the infrastructure is grossly overloaded. Meanwhile, the groundwater is undrinkable, and getting worse. Insanity unbridled. Sad.
Oh, and I really like the flow and structure of the poem. Very nicely done.
Thank you, very much.
That’s a horrific description – and they continue to insist that it is safe?!
I love the title, it’s really clever. It seems like we are going to kill ourselves so a few people can have a little more money and power.
Thank you – the title came to me in a flash, whilst I was walking home from my train station. Anyone nearby would have heard me muttering it over and over so I didn’t forget it!
Hmm, the concept of the greater good seems to have fallen by the wayside these days.
Excellent. I do believe ‘frack’ will become a swear word in the future as we are indeed ‘fracking’ up our future…
Anna :o]
We are indeed ‘fracking it up’! In my mind and other members of my family, it’s definitely a swear word….
Much more comfortable behind a stack of books too! Probably where I’ve been hiding the last few years 🙂 nice to visit you and thanks for your comment!
Oh me too, in my hideaway! You’re welcome 🙂