wind / nuclear

Risk

Colors creep up and glisten in the setting sun.
Heron, Geese and Gulls cross the sky
painting clouds shades of red with wing tip brushes.
Beauty gazes at me from every turn.

Along a distant ridge ,
as if from a time beyond are own, 
White masts stand out against the red sky. 
Props larger than I would think possible
spin gracefully in the wind. 

Driving south, along the graceful coast of lake Michigan,
I came upon the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant. 
Employees were lined up at the security booth
people and cars were checked and rechecked. 

War, Random bombings abroad,
the back drop of 9/11, it makes sense not to take risks. 
Huge chunks of limestone circle the plant,
from an earlier time of threat.

My time in Northern Door rushes through my mind. 
I feel my face moistened
as wind driven waves pound pocked cliffs
that hold countless fossils.

Cedar trees brace the wind,
clutching rocks with roots. 
Joyfully they drink life from the spray.
Sand Pipers getting chased by waves,
to then chase them back into the lake.
All the time searching for a snack. 
Near by gulls pick through piles of lake salad
left along the beach. 

From rocky bluffs to the sand beneath my feet,
life bursts from every pore of the sliver of land.
This plate of limestone marching out into the lake
that with wind will pound and with out will gently hug
the fertile shores of this peninsula.

I have taken some time
away from chain stores and fast food
but the world at large
had not taken even a cat nap. 
The radio gives death tolls from another bombing. 

What could a well placed bomb do to the Kewaunee Plant? 
How many people, animals, birds and fish
could perish or live shortened and tortured lives? 

What if the only target available
were a long line of wind mills? 
Why do we risk catastrophe? 
Does it make sense to pick apples with dynamite
when all we really need is
a canvas bag and a wooden ladder.