An energy hungry society
Forces us to look deeper and further than ever before
For the hydrocarbon we call oil
We **** the blood from centuries old life forms
Buried deep beneath the crust of this planet
We **** it up like soda through a straw
Re-injecting water to fill the gap and help to heal the sore.
It is not an easy task
Men and equipment transported and working
In some of the most hostile environments on the planet
Are we witnessing Natures way of protecting herself,
This world and the people on it?
Deep beneath our oceans and our seas
The treasure trove awaits
Mankind seeks it out, to ease his balance of payments
Mother Nature fights back as only she can
Winds and waves pound the intruders
Forcing them to designs beyond normal expectations.
Lives are given and lives are lost
Fortunes come and go
All based on the investment and return ratio.
Fragile desert ecosystems and precious ground water aquifers
These have only recently been taken into account
And then only superficially.
“We need to drill, we know where to strike black gold”
The local populace is told
Pristine desert sands cleansed for centuries
By the roaming desert winds
Now clogged with the thick sludge of oil
This is the price we have to pay.
The wastes are not removed
They are covered to blend with the desert feature
They are left awaiting rediscovery,
By some poor unsuspecting desert creature.
Deep swathes cut through rain forests
“Build a road 12 meters wide, so pollination is not effected” say the experts.
“Clear some more now, we need a pipeline” say the engineers.
“Forget the trees and plants” the Investors will holler.
The prospector comes and rapes a ****** land
All in the name of progress, and the mighty oil dollar.
There are advantages, of course there are
These we can readily see
Improved infrastructures, better living standards
Third world countries eager to get on par with the West
Voters investing in the motor car, choosing only the best
The circle evolves.
Oil has spawned mighty empires
Blue chip stocks, governments bought and sold
All in the name of the liquid gold
Millions of barrels, every day, throughout the world
Are pumped, refined and shipped to the consumers
Us! The people who live on this earth’s crust
There has to be a limit, a time to stop
Mother Earth needs a complete evolution to replace her loss
T
written in 1999 and still relevant today
