In the old days nursery rhymes like “Ring around the Rosie” were actually about bleak things like the plague. In the spirit of getting medieval on the primeval black death tragically washing up on certain beaches, I found myself humming the theme to “Beverly Hillbillies,” but with some different lyrics spilling out. Sing it with me—in honor of all our collective children.
Come and listen to a story ‘bout a Pig named Big
A company so rich it went dig, dig, dig.
From the bottom of the sea it was pumping up the crude
Until a pipe went bust and Big Pig’s being sued.
By everyone… Shrimpers. Governments.
Well the next thing you know Big Pig is in the shit;
Execs and lawyers whisper, “we gotta get away with it.”
Said “Pretending that we care is probably the key,”
So they piled in the jet and they flew to “I can’t see.”
Facts that is: dead birds. Tar balls.
*
Well now it’s time to say good bye to Big Pig and all his bitches.
And he’d like to thank you folks fer kindly givin’ him the riches.
Yer all invited back again to this travesty.
To have a heapin’ helping of bitter irony.
Con artist that is. Purveyor of fine sea food.
Throw another shrimp on the engine.
Y’all don’t get sick now, y’hear?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
But how can we not get sick? And stay sick for quite some time?
When are the people and the ecosystem of the Gulf going to get a break?
Here’s to Top Hats and Junk Shots – or better yet to a real solution and some accountability, so that there might be a teachable moment to salvage from all this, if nothing else.
Perhaps the psycho-spiritual answer has something to do with being both sick and well at the same time. As much as Pig Big is an easy target, I’m no Ed Begley riding around on my bike, so I suppose we’re all complicit to some degree in the state of things. My hope is that our organic moving toward connecting and community will help us all the better realize that we’re all in this world together.
It has been said that right thinking leads to right action, so perhaps we can all support each other on both counts and reap our reward in greater sense of presence and well-being.
While the world is in transition, perhaps the teachable moment is in the downside of risky and potentially toxic strategies—we now have the disaster firmly in mind (so it would be a very tough year for companies to lobby Washington to open more off-shore drilling).
The oil companies have deep pockets and a long-term profit strategy; do we have deeper love and a long-term healing strategy?