Mercy

I heard on the news
this morning, a farmworker
up in Kossuth County
south of Algona, near
the place my mother grew up
was overcome by fumes
from a CAFO 
manure lagoon and collapsed.

They took him first
to the county hospital
and from there 
airlifted him to Mercy
in Mason City
where he died.

In the land of my mother
where I still live
which is drowning in pig shit
even mercy is hard
to reach, and once we get there
not enough to save us.