
Figuring it out at 6 + 5 (Exploitation by numbers)
When I was 6 there were 10.
Now that I am 6 + 5 there are none.
I say there were 10 but some relics still remained
Let’s say 4 but there may have been more
But now I am 6 + 5 there is none.
When I was 10 + 5 there were 31
a class room emptied and the children
of fathers dead underground gone.
A year later and the children were gone too
and an empty classroom except for 1 or 2.
Then they were gone.
When I was 10 + 6 there were 144
then they were gone.
When I was 10 + 6 I was nearly gone
Almost drowned by my own body.
When I was 10 + 9 I was gone to another place
away from here where I could breathe.
When I was 3 + 2 I returned and there were 2
But now there are none.
When I was 3 + 5 – 1 came back again
But now that 1 has gone too
And now there are none again.
Before I was born 0 there were 75
Now there are none 0.
We were brought here because
of what we could take out for them.
And when that was gone we were left.
We took out what was here for others to sell
to build their big houses and then
they were gone and all that is left of them
is their collection of pictures from France
and the sprawl of the tips and heaps of course.
So we were left bye bye pictures
for us to look at and feel better,
feel inspired and aspire to better things.
But for so long we paid to get in and feel
grateful for being helped to feel better. Bye Bye.
Rivers ran black and skies spat black too
Trees died or were cut to prop up the earth.
Exploitation and devastation of an ecosystem.
Exploitation and the human wreckage left.
Thank you for leaving us so much. Bye Bye.
1801 – 542
1861 – 3035
1901 – 113735
1911 – 162729
164356
I don’t like looking back to 0 zero
I don’t like looking forward to 0 zero
I look at what’s in between
But mostly now when I am 6 + 5
Its what’s left to do that matters to me
And now what’s left? We are left. Right?