Orca Song
from Sherman Alexie’s Substack Audio Hosted by Sherman Alexie
That mother orca still carries her dead baby Through and through the waves. Hear the rage and wail. Humans are thieves. We deserve this destruction and decay. All of us play roles in this bloody cabaret. “But no,” you say. “Not me. I’m innocent.” The earth doesn’t accept your pleas and claims. None of us get to borrow that orca’s grief. She’s the one who carries her dead baby Through and through the waves. “We can still save the world,” you declare. But it’s probably too late. We’re killing oceans. We’re killing reefs. We deserve this destruction and decay. All of us play roles in this bloody cabaret. Some of us think spirituality will save us. But cars don’t pray. So f**k Prius. F**k Tesla. F**k Leaf. That mother orca carries her dead baby through and through the waves, Through the shipping channels that deliver Silverware and serving trays To our front doors. We consume and sieve. We deserve this destruction and decay. All of us play roles in this bloody cabaret. Our empathy is only a shovel. Collectively, We dig and dig the graves. We recycle hymns and compost poems— So misplaced and brutally naive— While mother orca carries what we’ve killed Through and through the waves. Her ghost will watch us destruct and decay As we dance in this apocalyptic cabaret. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shermanalexie.substack.com/subscribe
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