“…when there’s a dollar to be made?”

This haiku was inspired by the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico last week, one that will inevitably result in a spill to eclipse the Exxon Valdez over 20 years ago.

I find it curious that the two largest maritime oil spills in history both occurred in such proximity to U.S. coastlines — a coincidence I can’t help but imagine has to do with my country’s reverence for greed as a principle. We have mining disasters, oil spills and countless other industrial accidents — most of which are treated as collateral damage in our never-ending quest for higher profits.

for the sake of gold
we’ll create new disasters
to eclipse the old