For the summer I’m going back to the series of pieces mythologizing growing up in Cape Breton. Check the Village Stories page http://wp.me/P1RtxU-1fT here for previous pieces in this series posted in July/August 2014
Consumption
there was a rumour
that the fission plant
effected the heath of families
who lived near its run off
children who played in the water
became consumptive
the scientists at the plant
claimed that was because of poor nutrition
bad genetic make up in breeding
too much moose pie not enough fish cakes
those doctors had a list of reasons
why the fission plant was not responsible
even though there had not been one case
of consumption or ocular degeneration
till it had opened
the doctors said that was because
we didn’t have the diagnostic ability
to find these things out
till there was fission plant
to bring the economy here to life
besides what was the big deal
a few coughing children
or work for lots and lots of people
something to keep everyone happy
the plant was not the reason
the moose were no longer breeding
there was nothing in their waste run off
that would interrupt
the gestation cycle of any species
besides how can you stop the moose
from drinking in the streams
that were now radiant roiling
with purple blue in the sunset
thanks to the discharge from the plant
such pretty colors
why didn’t we like the pretty colors
what did we have against purple and blue
were we selfish monochromatic bores
who only cared about our health
we had to get with the program
come into the present
stop living in the past
suck it up pay the price
of stepping into the glorious
purple and blue future
think of all the good they were doing
soon we might even have light at night
the villagers were unimpressed
by these impassioned denials
the village didn’t want to retreat into the past
yet didn’t know if the price
we had to pay
to stay in the present was worth it
the parents of the consumptives
sat by the glittering purple blue stream
and began to weep
hoping their tears could undo the damage
door to progress?
This is perhaps the most directly political of the Village pieces. I tackle pollution more directly in some of my Brown Betty pieces – growing up, as I did, in Sydney, Cape Breton, which at the time was one of the most polluted spots in Canada, I have first hand experience. The toxic waste was due to the steel plant that belched blast furnace discharge clouds into the air at regular intervals & a toxic chemical runoff that formed a large, bog-like pond in the heart of the city.
last progressive cat
Years after the steel plant closed down, suppressed studies were found that showed they were aware of the truly poisonous nature of the run off & discharge but opted to keep it up rather than make it known they knew. Family closest had arsenic in the soil that the kids played in.
progressive roof line
The ‘fission’ plant’s defence is real enough – I’ve heard it used many times by many industries. I wanted to push it into absurdity though with the purple & blues – minimizing the damage & also by shifting blame from the polluters to those polluted for not being accepting enough of progress.
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pollute me
