Crossing Alaska

The Alaskans of the Copper Valley

lived a hearty, outdoor, Indian life.

They tended the terrain for centuries

defying harsh weather and climate strife.

These Indians knew how to work the land.

They banded together; man, woman and child.

They lived in underground houses while

moose, antelope and reindeer roamed wild.

For most people, Alaska was too far north;

a laughing stock; William Seward’s folly.

The dark, frigid, arctic days of winter

made existence difficult and melancholy.

Summer hikers and tourists visited

as well as school teachers on break.

They’d camp in the Denali Preserve,

under spindly trees they’d fish the lakes.

But scientists and engineers discovered

oil in the massive forty-ninth state.

They built the Trans-Alaska pipeline

to bring fuel to the lower forty-eight.

From Prudhoe Bay to Valdez,

an ugly eyesore crossed the region.

Which changed the way of life for

native creatures and Indian legions.

The frozen land became polluted.

The wilderness, an oil coated abyss.

With poisoned ponds killing the fish,

the ecological balance became amiss.

Because populated states needed energy

and built the pipeline to harness the oil,

the life the native Alaskans knew before

was forever and permanently spoiled.