Sunday, May 30, 2010
I am rerunning an excerpt of a piece I did quite recently.
My beautiful friend Maria, of Mommy Melee, a writer of incredible talents, is having a blog
carnival. I usually am not organized enough to partake in theme carnivals, but this one just speaks to
my heart like no other. I hope I'm not too late. She began this a few days ago, but I must raise my
voice in prayer and protest for these sanctified waters, here in my backyard home.
She is raising awareness, action and hope for our beautiful Gulf of Mexico.
Please help us if you can. It is now considered the worst environmental disaster of our times.
And the oil just keeps pumping.
This is the last part of a post I wrote, a frivolous post that doesn't belong here on this page today.
For today, my words are only for the Gulf.
For those not familiar with my blog at the end of each post, I suggest a song to download. This
was my suggested song, just a few days after the oil leak was discovered.
God Bless Our Gulf and all the creatures that call its splendid waters their home.
And once again, Blogger is jacking me over with crazy ghost fonts and random spacing. So, as
usual I am giving you Blogger my double fingered salute. You will not break me, Blogger!
Today's Definite Download: I had something else in store but then . . . I can't even
say it without my heart feeling like a whispery piece of paper being torn in two.
I have been a Florida girl now almost all my life. There are certain elements of
my world here that I love, that I have never taken for granted.
The spanish moss that drapes from my trees, gray lacy necklaces that sing the songs
of the south.
My bare feet, calloused with wear because here the earth is meant to be felt, warm and alive under
your feet.
The sun that shines, a constant presence.
And above everything else, there is the beautiful Gulf of Mexico.
It happens every time we venture to the beach. The minute we hit the bridge, the
Gulf rises up before us, spread out like a glimmering jewel to the edges of the
horizon. Sky to sea, everywhere I look its tranquil blue waters confirming what I
know to be true. I am home.
The Gulf holds treasures like no other sea. Its fine, white sand as soft as baby powder.
way insipidly through my beloved waters, and no one can figure out how to stop it.
The dolphins. The stingrays. The pelicans. The fish of the sea. The vast and varied
sea life. All in mortal danger.
BP, what have you done?
Damn you BP. Damn you.
I understand the need for drilling. I am not blind to what needs to be done in order
to make us less reliant on unreliable people and places for a necessary resource.
But, drilling should only be allowed with the most rigorous and exacting safety
procedures in place. There is no room for error when it comes to our precious waters.
She is our Gulf. Our beautiful lady. And she cannot be replaced.
It is being called potentially the worst ecological disaster the nation has ever faced.
We need to do better by her.
For today: Randy Newman's "Louisiana 1927". Randy Newman is one of the finest songwriters of
our time. It's kind of a shame that he's best known for his quirky, "Short People" song because he's
just a brilliant talent.
Here's a link to the song because it's just one of those songs you have to hear for
yourself.
He wrote "Louisiana 1927" about the devastation caused by The Great Mississippi
Flood of 1927. But, I think for today, it is an apt song for my precious Gulf. The oil
is flowing that way up towards New Orleans as we speak, choking everything it its
path.
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're trying to wash us away
They're trying to wash us away
Say a prayer today if you can for my friends of the sea and the air and their
extraordinary home. Say a prayer for my Gulf of Mexico. May you sparkle again, for
all the days to come.
The Gulf holds treasures like no other sea. Its fine, white sand as soft as baby powder.
The gentle lapping pulse of its warm tides, so much better than the angry, crashing
waves of her sister, the Atlantic Ocean. There is no better place to breathe than lolling
in her welcoming waters, the taste of salt upon one's lips, its balmy ebb and flow
washing away all the troubles of the Earth.
Dolphins frolic in close proximity to the beachgoers, delighting the throngs of tourists. The water is
alive with creatures of the sea. Tiny fish dart in and among the swimmers. Hermit crabs scurry across
the water's edge. The pelicans swoop down like Kamikaze Pilots, snatching up their own seafood delicacies. And even in the winter, the Gulf entrances. The stingrays glide at the gulf's edge, a
beautiful synchronized dance, a show like no other.
I feel so fortunate to be witness to this splendor. My Gulf Of Mexico.
And now all of it lies in peril. Now, a choking, black cloud of poison is making its
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21 comments:
We were supposed to go to Perdido Key this summer for a vacation at my uncle-in-law's house (it's just across the Alabama border, near Pensacola), but thanks to BP, we're sticking closer to home.
And I haven't seen the beach in nearly 6 years. I'm so disappointed!
It's bad enough to have an oil spill, but to have the oil still leaking after so much time is just ludicrous! Maybe BP would do something about it quicker if we all boycotted their gas stations!
How beautifully put.
Sending prayers.
I remember seeing a snippet of this on the news just the other day. You've told me a lot more than I knew then. This is sad.
I'm sure a lot will get done to protect the water and all the creatures in it. Each person's contribution is going to do wonders in the long run.
I see yours way way ahead, making sure you'll get your Gulf back soon. Love your loyalty towards your Gulf!
It's such a tragedy. And I agree with the commentor who questioned if a boycot is needed for BP to take action.
The gulf coast is indeed beautiful and it is such a sadness that this devastation is being wrought upon it.
Good for you, speaking out. They need better safety measures in place. ARGH. It makes me sick!
I've been following the pix in the paper.
Obama better step up his game.
What a powerful, beautiful post, each word and each photo. Thank you so much for reminding me of that song.
Nicely done. I hope they figure that thing out and soon. In the mean time, our gulf dies.
This does make me so sad. I remember going there as a kid. Thanks for the read and the song.
My dad was watching the local news and some guy has a fix for it using Peet moss, or something like that. It is beyond sad what is happening.
Have a happy memorial day!
The whole situation is such a shame. Whenever I think about all the damage that's already being done, it makes me too sad. I can't even watch the news anymore.
This is an amazing post!
It truly is tragic that we can't come up with a way to fix this. Doesn't make much sense to me at all!
My heart just breaks when I think of what is happening there. Your post really sums it all up. Love your last few lines even if they make me cry.
This was beautiful and your pictures are stunning. I've never been to the Gulf but this makes me want to see it. It's a tragedy what happened.
Saying a prayer. Loving our creatures and our beautiful earth. May God protect it and renew it.
Wonderful post Joann.
Thank you for such a great post! I too am a Florida girl. I was born and raised in Clearwater. It was the most beautiful beach ever. Then all the hotels and condos came and it was forever changed. I moved around for the last 27 years. Lived on the MS gulf coast for a time. Now I am back on the gulf coast again, the Emerald coast this time. The gulf is still as beautiful as I remembered it growing up. I hope it is not lost forever from this horrible mess.
This tragedy leaves me with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I pray that they can get this mess straightened out soon. Has anyone thought of boycotting BP? I know that it isn't the employees or stockholders that caused this, but money talks.
Although I've lived in NC all my life, Florida, and especially the Gulf Coast, could be my second home. It is so unbelievably tragic I can hardly even bear to read about it. We vacation there almost every fall. Your post expresses the beauty of the Gulf and the love I feel for it. Someone, somewhere needs to come up with a real solution and fast. Thanks to you and everyone else helping to bring focus to this issue.
Every day, I wake up to storm watch - yet the hurricane never hits land.
Plug the damn hole, indeed.
Excellent tribute.
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