October 7, 2004
Medusa
by
Cydra Vaux
The Vampires of Empire
by Judy Grahn
just as
-- as the Kogi have told us
gold is the menstrual blood of the Earth --
oil is the blood of the Mother
the Mother's rule
is blood for blood
you eat, you pay
we drink her blood
to fuel our lives
our rule is glug glug glug
we're free, we say
if we can't have more than our
more-than-our-share
we call it a crisis
and go to war
we pay the price
an addict pays
if oil costs the blood
of a thousand soldiers
we don't care
if it costs the blood
of ten thousand civilians
we don't care
if it costs the blood
of 30,000 traffic deaths
we don't care
we are the vampires of empire
we can eat cherries in winter
we can fly anywhere
everything we do begins
with petroleum
yum yum yum
what did we do this year?
we drank, drank
the blood of the Mother
burp burp burp
we burned, burned
the blood of the Mother
rumrumrum
we drove round
in carriages,
as fast and as far as we could
slurp slurp slurp
sweet syrup, so
free -- we are free
we live in a sea
of burning blood
we can drive anywhere
don't need roads
the earth is our road
our rule is lug lug lug
we love our carriages
roomy, safe, we carry homes
and offices with us
pretend our trailer
is a wickiup
make a procession of carry-out,
pick-up
go go drink drink burn burn
where are we going?
what is the purpose of the trip?
we don't care
we love the sensation of getting there
salty illusion of being free
we are the vampires of empire
we go wherever our addiction takes us
the Mother doesn't care either
doesn't intercede
You Eat You Pay she says
and all natural history confirms
she means it.
--Judy Grahn
September 21, 2004
Judy Grahn is a renowned poet and cultural theorist; metaformic theory is her new origin story that reclaims the Sacred Feminine and women's contributions of culture. Judy teaches in and co-directs Women's Spirituality MA and Creative Inquiry (interdisciplinary arts) MFA programs, at New College of California.