Emerald Coast Writers Inc.

Black Gold

Linda Wasserman

The Black Gold called — and

treasure hunters searched,

followed maps,

and dug their holes.

The Black Gold gushed — after

treasure hunters found

“X” and dug

the holes deeper.

The Black Gold spilled — when

treasure hunters built

rigs and hired

men to work

and then to die

in pieces in

an oily sea.

The Black Gold spread — and

treasure hunters searched

for tarballs

on Gulf beaches.

The Black Gold dispersed — as

treasure hunters found

a true gold:

nature and sand.

Linda Wasserman, a Pensacola resident, is a local writer and the owner, publisher, and editor of Pelican Press of Pensacola. Over the last several years she has published three books of poetry by Northwest Florida’s former Poet Laureate, Henry Langhorne—The Clarity of Last Things, As Fate Would Have It, and In the Country or Rain, as well as a children’s book by Eileen Mary Wisdom—Harry Meets Mathilda. She can be reached at [email protected].

The Spill

In 2010, when the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill exploded and threatened the way of life that Gulf Coast residents know and love, West Florida Literary Federation offered an outlet for expression. During the six months when the uncapped well gushed, and for one year following the successful capping of the well, writers, poets and photographers from across the country sent us their words, thoughts and feelings, thereby providing a literary record of the Deep Water Horizon environmental disaster. Here are the best of the submissions.

The Spill Detail

Black Gold

Black Gold

The Spill

CONTENTS

Photo Essay

Prose

Poetry

Short Fiction