Travelers Welcome

Travelers Welcome

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

The Birds and the Bees

by Michael Ceraolo

There was a sudden concern
early in the third millennium
about what were then called,
in the mania for initializing,
GMOs,
            which stood for
Genetically Modified Organisms
                                               (though
there were plenty of pejorative nicknames
conferred by those opposed)
                                            (as though
every plant and animal
that had been domesticated
hadn't been genetically modified
to a greater or lesser degree)

The concern most often expressed
was in regard to the safety
of the altered organisms,
                                     which
was indeed a valid concern but
a distraction from the real issue,
                                                which
was the increasing consolidation
of the corporate control of life:
                                               here
the granting of patents for life-forms;
the Creator's patents had apparently lapsed
unnoticed by one and all,
                                      and
corporations were only too happy
to step into the breach

                                      And
they aggressively enforced their 'rights',
                                                           and
managed to do so in a couple of ways:
                                                         by
fighting labeling requirements that might imply
that their 'products' weren't safe,
                                                and by shifting
the burden of proof from themselves to the farmers,
who now had to prove they weren't using
the patented life-forms
                                    And
many farmers not having the resources
to defend themselves in court
against the colossus,
far too many unmodified foodstuffs
were left to rot in the ground
while awaiting adjudication
as to their ownership

                                   And,
at the same time,
genetically-modified chemicals
were being applied to the fields
with very little outcry,
                                and
such chemicals caused brain damage
to the bees who were necessary
to the propagation of natural plants,
                                                     and
still more natural plants died out,
                                                and
corporate control continued on

The corporate-controlled life-forms
largely proved safe,
                             but
it was already too late for those
who had starved to death
because they were unable to pay
for the patented life-forms----

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