I would never suppose that my experience of Katrina was
worse than that of my family, friends and others who lived through it. Yet for
those of us who call New Orleans home but no longer live there, it was a
different kind of hell: watching your cherished home and family flooded out; being
unable to communicate with loved ones for days and days and wondering if they
were still alive; watching the clumsy attempts of elected officials trying to “help”
and feeling helpless yourself; spending hours and hours scouring message boards
trying to locate and connect with family and friends. Before Katrina I could easily say that "all my
family lives in New Orleans". Not so today; we are scattered between Texas,
Atlanta, the Midwest and other places too. I am grateful we have scattered
because at the very least it means that we have survived. Still, on August 29th
each year I remember, I reflect, I get angry (citizens of the US who lose their
homes may be DISPLACED, but are not REFUGEES), I cry and try to make meaning of
it all.
Depressed by water
Oppressed by water
Upset by water
Beset by water
The world watches
My hometown drowns
Water water everywhere
Not to baptize
But to destroy
Horror water
Warring water
Besieged by water
Beleaguered by water
Water Water
From my eyes
9 years later
Still we cry
Here is a link to pictures of my family’s home
as it looks today and one from a couple of months after the flooding. Still kind of
horrifying, but we have some really good memories in this house!
No comments:
Post a Comment