Punish the Murderers

Without water there is no life.
Last night a thirteen year old
Told how she started her day, preparing for school,
She pours bottled water into a pot
Sets it on the stove to heat up,
Uses some to make her oatmeal for breakfast,
Then brings it to the bathroom
Where she brushes her teeth and
Washes her face.
When she comes home, she carries more
Bottled water to take a bath.
She does not want any more painful skin rashes.
Without water there is no life.
Then two young siblings said
The school told them not to use the water
A month after they started school.
Their older sister said her school
Told her not to use the water
Two weeks ago.  This is not a joke.
Without water there is no life.
Taking away life is murder.
A friend tells me there will be no fish
In the ocean after 2048. None.
The thing is, the trend is reversible.
Food is money, and the moneygrubbers
Are killing the thing making them rich.
But taking away life is murder.
I can’t forget this story. The woman
Who drank the water and miscarried her child.
Or the mother who described how
Her child was now having seizures,
While another has been acting out at school,
And both have lead poisoning
From the water coming from the Flint River.
The governor knew about the poison.
He appointed the emergency manager of the city and
He OK’d the city saving money by using the tainted water.
But taking away life is murder.
Without water there is no life.
Punish the murderers.
Water must be clean and free for all.
—Lew Rosenbaum

Lew Rosenbaum

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