Cobalt

By Andrew R. Duckworth

inspired by the work and reporting of Siddarth Kara

I was enlightened today with horrors
The horrors that bring us comforts.
Bloody hands and poisoned lungs,
Hammers slinging, cobalt flung,
All so we can stare at a screen,
Trying to keep our conscience clean.
I have a phone I carry with me.
Blood on my hands, blood on my hands,
Purchasing in to my favorite brands
Who practice the worst of humanity.
Desperate children, desperate families
Surviving by dying.
The fruits of their dangerous labor?
The phone, the laptop, the screen,
All of it comfort for you and me.
Blood on our hands, blood on our hands.
There’s no clean cobalt that one can see,
But all of it used by tech companies.
Blood on their hands, blood on their hands.