Poetry Pond
This is my paper, my mind is the pen

THE GOAL:

ONE POEM PER WEEK

.

Friday, September 02, 2005

Background Information: In late August, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devestated New Orleans and many other places on the Gulf Coast. Many lost their homes, and thousands are probably dead. New Orleans is in chaos and authorities are struggling to bring order and safety.

This might be the most powerful thing I've ever written. I started thinking about what it might be like to be in New Orleans right now, trying to simply survive from minute to minute in a world gone mad. I tried as best I could to put myself in that frame of mind and write from the perspective of someone who has lost it all and is in danger of losing what little he or she (I think I wrote from the perspective of a woman) has left.

I don't think I'm going to title this. I'll just let it speak for itself.
----------------------

I'm all wet
I'm burning up
I constantly feel like throwing up
Where are my children?
What happened to my dog?
I'm so damn hungry
I'm asking you why, God

This water reeks
I'm so thirsty, so tired
What's going to happen to me?
Why is that building on fire?
Where are the buses?
I've got to get out of here
Are we going to get help?
Are we doomed to die in fear?

I think I see a store
Maybe there's something to eat
Maybe there's some socks
So I can warm my aching feet
Hey, I took that first!
I haven't eaten in days
"You want some sympathy?
Go find all the gays"

Put down that gun, mister
Put it down now
If you want to survive
I'll help show you how
Why me? Why here?
I'm just trying to live
I've lost everything I know
I have nothing left to give

*BANG!*




He shot me
He did it
Pure animals, they are
That hurricane destroyed my city
A city forever scarred
In the blink of an eye
I saw the truth of humanity
One minute, civility
The next minute, insanity

posted by:Russ at 1:25 PM | Post Page | 4 comments

4 Comments:

This is powerful....I hope you write more. I noticed your goal of one a week. I can only write poetry when I am inspired and that usually has to do with a guy.

By Blogger Bar L., at 6:38 PM  

One a week has dwindled to one every half year lol. I like to write when I'm inspired, not when I think I SHOULD do a poem. Thanks for looking, though!

By Blogger Russ, at 6:42 PM  

russ,

thanks for coming by my blog... I followed you here and so glad I did. I love your poem, I think it must be the worst feeling in the world to think nobody cares or will even bother to get you. That's what shocked me the most about the response to Katrina, I kind of lost my faith that someone would come get me if that was me, if I was the one needing help it wouldn't be so easy to change the channel. Thanks

By Blogger Delphine, at 8:35 PM  

Good poem, so...alive. I wonder what you think about my poems :), I write them directly in english

By Blogger Dana, at 4:47 PM  

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