This poem by political activist Dennis Brutus is dedicated to fellow writer Karen Silkwood, who died on the road from Cimarron in Eastern Cape on November 13 1974.
This poem by political activist Dennis Brutus is dedicated to fellow writer Karen Silkwood, who died on the road from Cimarron in Eastern Cape on November 13 1974.
On the road from Cimarron
terrible knowledge quartered
like an unnatural monster
at the back of her brain
On the road from Cimarron
terrible knowledge pursues her
headlights lasering
the back of her head
On the road from Cimarron
terrible knowledge of a mutilating death
rested with lethal casualness
on her sleeve
On the road from Cimarron
terrible knowledge impacted
on her brain
with the shattering crash
that shattered her car from the road:
they wished her to die
with the terrible knowledge
locked in her skull
terrible knowledge
of a nuclear holocaust
Terrible knowledge
of a nuclear holocaust
clumsily unloosed
through carelessness
or greed
terrible knowledge
that even now
a few are dying
slowly, horribly
lied to
lied about
and she had a terrible knowledge
Behind her
out of the dark
hurtled a red glare:
baleful Moloch,
awesome fireball
glimmering:
terror
lunging to destroy
Out of the dark
behind her
a monstrous hound
lunging from Erebus
sharp fangs snapping
to extirpate her:
terrible knowledge
of impounding death
Terrible knowledge
of the guilty ones
- cops, executives, agents -
who conspired to destroy her
and her terrible knowledge
and now conspire
to plead their innocence
their ignorance
Terrible knowledge
of our capacity to destroy
of our potential for destruction,
of our destructive greed:
terrible knowledge
Karen's knowledge,
our knowledge,
terrible knowledge
Brutal truth from Brutus
This poem by political activist Dennis Brutus is dedicated to fellow writer Karen Silkwood, who died on the road from Cimarron in Eastern Cape on November 13 1974.
This poem by political activist Dennis Brutus is dedicated to fellow writer Karen Silkwood, who died on the road from Cimarron in Eastern Cape on November 13 1974.
On the road from Cimarron
terrible knowledge quartered
like an unnatural monster
at the back of her brain
On the road from Cimarron
terrible knowledge pursues her
headlights lasering
the back of her head
On the road from Cimarron
terrible knowledge of a mutilating death
rested with lethal casualness
on her sleeve
On the road from Cimarron
terrible knowledge impacted
on her brain
with the shattering crash
that shattered her car from the road:
they wished her to die
with the terrible knowledge
locked in her skull
terrible knowledge
of a nuclear holocaust
Terrible knowledge
of a nuclear holocaust
clumsily unloosed
through carelessness
or greed
terrible knowledge
that even now
a few are dying
slowly, horribly
lied to
lied about
and she had a terrible knowledge
Behind her
out of the dark
hurtled a red glare:
baleful Moloch,
awesome fireball
glimmering:
terror
lunging to destroy
Out of the dark
behind her
a monstrous hound
lunging from Erebus
sharp fangs snapping
to extirpate her:
terrible knowledge
of impounding death
Terrible knowledge
of the guilty ones
- cops, executives, agents -
who conspired to destroy her
and her terrible knowledge
and now conspire
to plead their innocence
their ignorance
Terrible knowledge
of our capacity to destroy
of our potential for destruction,
of our destructive greed:
terrible knowledge
Karen's knowledge,
our knowledge,
terrible knowledge