Ode to the Power Grid

Ode to the Power Grid

Oh you ugly power lines
your demanding right-of ways
your high tension towers
    marching across the landscape
    like invading aliens
your poles waiting for cars to crash into them
your transformers filled with toxic PCBs
your 60 cycle buzzing
    a whiff of ozone
your threat of electrocution
your belching smokestacks
your dam whining turbines
    blocking rivers
    salmon spawning
Fukushima Daiichi, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl
    glowing memories

when you fail
    no light
    no heat
    no interwebs
    appliances don't even blink
    cell phone almost dead
what time is it?
    eating our ice cream before it melts
    as we watch TV by candlelight
    and pedal our electric bikes
    chop wood
    carry water
    
oh you terrible no-good horrible power grid
    we miss you so much
    please come back soon!


Steve Smith








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reflections on Self and Other: Embracing Paradoxes

This is not a poem, nor is it written by a human... it is the output of GPT4 when I first asked it to write odes to A) Umwelt; B) Umgebung; C) Innerwelt and then to reflect on the paradoxes and dualities of self-other in that regard: Reflections on Self and Other: Embracing Paradoxes In the intricate tapestry of existence, a dance unfolds between the realms of self and other, where dualities and paradoxes intertwine. Within the realm of Umwelt, individual perceptions shape our understanding of the world. Each of us holds a unique lens through which we interpret our surroundings, yet within these boundaries, we feel an inherent yearning for connection with others. It is the paradox of embracing our own distinctiveness while recognizing the shared humanity that binds us. Umgebung, the stage upon which life plays out, encompasses diverse landscapes and environments. Mountains, rivers, cities, and forests create a multitude of Umgebungen, each offering a distinct backdrop for our individua...
Read more
  "It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end."― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness This stanza was to be for you      a sunny affirmation to shine through foggy doubt but last night she climbed into my dreams to play      hide and seek with moony memory      tumble with my rhyme and meter      then chose to stay in quilts and pillows      leave me here to blush and fumble empty headed but she's still there just waiting to be led to daylight      to meet you and hand you my words She places words into my hand I fear clasping too hard, but if the boulders of memory tickle my palms, I may loosen letters letting them fall between crevices or into wells where women chant songs of enticement promising   the good luck of a copper penny wish with this closed palm of words, I choose a path to pass into the inescapable landscapes of l...
Read more

3 Short Poems

Now and Then   I remember when I remembered better than I remember now but I now know that then I could not know what I know now ...       The color of my delusion   of the pandemonium without and for the peace within   has a hue of unearned comfort and quietude that belies security   a shade that hides the risk required to consummate a private bill of promises       Squirrely   I watch Red watching MoMo smelling squirrel gone up tree watching me   squirrel steals bird seeds clever brain cross breeds its needs tweet to germinate   small hands fumble nut unblinking eye holds me fast still life with twitches -Richard Krasin
Read more