Sunday 19 January 2014


Oil Slick – The Prestige


(The 'Prestige' oil tanker spilt its load on 13th November 2002
of the coast of Galicia, Spain)

There would be some prestige
in accountability
or responsibility,
when the sea heaves black poison
in waves upon the shore.

There could be redemption
in repentance,
but not in indifference
as miles of golden sand
are besieged with curdled oil.

There should be sympathy,
but it’s doubtful
and won’t come from the powerful
made rich by black gold, while fishermen
shocked pale, scrape their living clean.

But there is certainly anger
for the gasping cormorant,
tarred and feathered;
and the small crab, black as pitch
lying fossilised in someone’s palm.


© Sue Burley 2002

(A recent news report states that ‘The Prestige’ is still leaking oil
off the north-west coast of Spain, 4 years later- 2006))

13th November 2013- A Spanish court acquitted 3 people blamed for the sinking of The Prestige oil tanker in 2002, finding no-one responsible for one of Europe’s worst environmental  oil disasters.

Wednesday 15 January 2014


New Year, and I have been trying to turn out a few things, and found the following scribble. By the way, I know there are spelling mistakes! (It has improved since then!)

Susie Richardson – 10½ years old

Lives in Church Road
boring
Old Malden                            
quite pretty with a pond
Surrey
a “posh county” (We arent!!)
England                                      
Us and the rest of the country.  (Been to Brieton and London) but nowhere else
The United Kingdom             
Us plus Scotland, Ireland and Whales
The World                                    
Large, round, lots of sea, spinning, sometimes night, sometimes day
Space                                          
Goes on forrever. If you look up – there are stars, sometimes the sun and moon
but only if there are no clowds    
The Universe                                
Lots more space – whats it all about, does it end somwhere?  Over the rainbow?


That sent me off thinking about eternity, AGAIN, all these years later,
(tho’ a favourite train of thought!)
Are we actually in some kind of giant bubble?  Musings only please- not scientific data!