I wrote this poem over a year ago while working on a news story on the California drought. In searching through my older poetry for something else I thought I would share it and it, sadly, is still very relevant today. The West is still in a drought and society is still grappling with these same issues.
“Drought Conditions”
I’m working a news story about California
They and the West are without water
Another ominous sign of climate change
The drought is so severe, the stats staggering
The West has lost 63 trillion gallons –
In a 3 year period and whole cities
Are restricting water and fining violators
But Nestle is still allowed to bottle water –
From California springs and sell it for profit
Across state lines, while others have no water
Nevada has no water and no full time jobs
A drought of two critically necessary commodities
People are stuck literally without water or money
Arizona & New Mexico have no water either
And have immigrants flooding their borders
The notion we should reject these suffering –
Often ill and poor souls shows a drought of another kind:
It’s a drought of our societal morality
They want to end the words “under God”
From our time honored Pledge of Allegiance
A drought on our national root values
Companies are moving out of America
To avoid paying their corporate taxes
A drought of their patriotic responsibility
The news media wants to drive fear
Fear of everyone and everything different –
Than you are. A drought of hope
Society shifting into secularism
Promoting individualism and relativism
A drought on our consciousness
A drought on our communal harmony
A society of “me” and not “we”
What about “We the people”?
There’s no mention of “I” by the Founders
A drought of our civilization
Aimed at keeping us focused away-
Away from the real problems
A drought in Africa causing famine
Children dying in fields by the dozen
I.S.I.S. roaming and prowling
Killing innocent people indiscriminately
A drought of any basic human dignity
A drought of any respect for human life
These problems, all of them could be addressed
If we all banded together in harmony
If we ignored society and turned to God
For He is the Living Water
That will heal this parched Earth
Copyright – 2015 – Frank J. Maduri – All rights reserved. No copying, duplication, reproduction, or use of this content is permitted without the express written permission of the author.