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ray-zimmermanPoems
This message brought to you By the Tennessee Valley Authority By business, industry, and government By progress, prosperity and jobs Mercury It’s an element It’s a metal It’s a liquid It’s toxic Mercury It’s a capsule Launched into space To splash down In the Pacific Ocean Alan Shepherd rode the first Mercury Capsule into space Splashed down in The pages of history books Tennessee River waters contain Mercury Not the space capsule But the element It’s a metal It’s a liquid It’s toxic Tennessee River fish contain Mercury Not the space capsule But the element It’s a metal It’s a liquid It’s toxic Pregnant women should not eat these fish Nursing mothers Should not eat These fish Children Should not eat These fish Adult males May eat These fish Women past child bearing age May eat These fish Elderly people Are encouraged to eat These fish Homeless people Are required to eat These fish That is all Have a nice day
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Jun 3, 2015
Jun 3, 2015 at 9:11 PM UTC
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This message brought to you By the Tennessee Valley Authority By business, industry, and government By progress, prosperity and jobs Mercury It’s an element It’s a metal It’s a liquid It’s toxic Mercury It’s a capsule Launched into space To splash down In the Pacific Ocean Alan Shepherd rode the first Mercury Capsule into space Splashed down in The pages of history books Tennessee River waters contain Mercury Not the space capsule But the element It’s a metal It’s a liquid It’s toxic Tennessee River fish contain Mercury Not the space capsule But the element It’s a metal It’s a liquid It’s toxic Pregnant women should not eat these fish Nursing mothers Should not eat These fish Children Should not eat These fish Adult males May eat These fish Women past child bearing age May eat These fish Elderly people Are encouraged to eat These fish Homeless people Are required to eat These fish That is all Have a nice day
This is a performance poem. The repetition is intentional. It is included in Southern Light: Twelve Contemporary Southern Poets. In one day, I read this poem and got a standing ovation at the Southern Festival of Books (Nashville) and read it that same evening and won first place in a Chattanooga poetry slam.
ray-zimmerman
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ray-zimmerman
Jun 3, 2015
Jun 3, 2015 at 9:11 PM UTC
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