Ode to New Orleans ... for the people!

Seven years ago-Katrina .. what more need I say? For The People who suffered and still suffer from the devastation of Katrina!

The world through the eyes of a child
I don't remember being a child 
I wonder about these children
The ones who are no longer sleeping in their beds
now they are sleeping on mats or cots in a strange place
many strangers surrounding them 
what do they feel?

The world through the eyes of a Mother
Her home gone her kitchen she loved so much
where she cooked her family their favorite meals shrimp gumbo
red beans and rice and iced tea always fresh in the refrigerator
the refrigerator that is now floating amongst bodies ravaged by the poison waters

Her child, where is her child?
She saw her child rescued by a man in camos
now she can't find her
She knows her child well
she knows her child is sick with fright
the tired eyes of the woman fill with tears
as she lies on a cot in a strange place among strangers

The world through the eyes of a dog
a big reddish-brown dog with huge brown eyes
that look
bewildered
nervous
skittish
she sits on the roof of the house 
wondering where the master is who fed her
brushed her and made her feel so good 
where is her master?
Her eyes are sad she is afraid her master has left her
she thinks she must have been a bad doggie
her tail droops between her legs and she cries , she cries
yes, dogs cry

The world through the eyes of an old man who is poor 
homeless yet again as his street corner is gone he no longer can sleep on his bench
he looks for help and sees no one

The world through the eyes of a city
Her people dead and dying 
she has let them down
she tried to keep them safe she cries and feels her soil rotting in the muddy water of decay and death

The world through the eye's of a nation
Horror fills their minds

Disbelief
Rage
Anger
Hurt
Hearts broken
Curses
Blame
Courage
Faith
Generosity
Love
Strength
Sympathy
Thankfulness for their dry homes
Full stomachs
Hydration

The nation weeps with the child
mother, dog, the homeless, the city
The people's eyes shed tears
The people's eyes hold dear all they love
The people have seen how in a blink of an eye all can be gone

Sadness
That  one word
Does not convey the horror of this day
Hearts open
helping hands
we will survive
eyes will dry
as will the city

Show your love today
Be kind to each other
Don't ever forget
Nothing is forever

And they called them refugees.. they are victims.
Thrown all across the country, families torn apart, dead lying for days on streets and freeways.. too much horror to imagine. Yet it happened and we all saw .. and all who have a heart cried for these people and our beloved New Orleans... a City I have always felt a kinship with.

Author's Note

Katrina was mild compared to Japan so since i can't write about Japan now this is to acknowledge them also -Millions in Japan without food or water-entire families washed away ... I can only imagine.

Wrote this when Katrina drowned New Orleans .. that was one of the worst fiasco's of Bush's administration.. one of MANY.. i wrote this quickly as i was upset felt like pouring out my thoughts and frustration.. sorry for any typos .. got tired of looking for the former reviews.. just a piece i feel strongly about.. it is somewhat a story too i reckon. I wrote it for the People.. the people not the 'refugees' as they were called .. THE PEOPLE .

Reviews

[E. M. Murren]

Beautiful tribute. It is even sadder when you realize that it could have been avoided had they fixed the levy in 1998 when the bill came before congress... but the Replican majority didn't think it worth the investment. I have a lot of anger about this. To me they killed all those people through neglecting their responsibilities... for what? A few tax cuts... woopie.

Sorry... gone political when you wrote a beautiful work of art. Really lovely work.

[Robert Luna]

This was such an impressive piece. You always leave so proud to call you a friend. You speak so much truth here that needs to be heard and felt. My heart goes out to the people effected by that horrible storm. I am so glad you sent this my way. I always love reading your words.


Great Job!!!!!

[Fran Marie]

An Extreemly well penned and powerful piece of writing
deeply expressed with so much truth within~
WelL DonE my friend~Fran Marie

[Danielle Asher]

The world through the eyes of an old man who is poor
homeless yet again as his street corner is gone he no longer can sleep on his bench
he looks for help and sees no one

I am not sure why this is my favorite verse. I have worked with Homeless for years and my heart really has a special place for them. I thought it was amazing that you think of them as people of the city. So many people do not, as you make the point in your piece. I really thought the entire piece was so powerful and I have not yet read one like it on WC. The fact that you wrote it quickly, expressing your emotion for how the people of New Orleans were wronged, makes it that much better, because it is uncensored emotion. This is the kind of material we need to speak explicitly about and let people know we can not have it anymore. Be proud for writing this! It's wonderful in all the disappointment and sadness it brings light to.

[mattavelli]

This is excellent.
We can't stop these storms, but we should be allowed competent leadership. That's why we pay taxes.

[imnoromeo215]

:'-( this is a great poem but i cant get over the poor dog :'-( i know humans dieing and im all eh but a dog and now im depressed it is a strange world we live in indeed very good poem

[Legion]

Great write. Hopefully, we as a nation, can learn much from this fiasco. A fitting tribute to one of the worst tragedys in U.S. history.

[PoemRodent]

This is a really thought filled image of what some went through. Having a dear friend close to me lose her home and be forced to live with her fiends for many months till all the paperwork was cleared was heartning but the people outside never really had a glimpse of the cold hard reality it left so many to face. This was very well penned and I bow...

Love and Thoughts,

Dostani

[The Archangel Gabriel]

"Help from FEMA ???????? What a laugh!!!
Such a blemish on America and The Bush Administration... that face is covered in blemishes..."

Well said, Chloe. You know as well as me that with something like 666 contemporenous never-ending wars, we don't have any money left for taking care of our own. Like you, I would love to see that 200 billion a year spent at home on the poor people and also abroad on actually bringing peace and prosperity instead of just talking about it.

I kind of hope that I will be on the CIA team that finally brings Bush to justice with my bow, sword and extremely painful broadhead arrows. War is a b***h! If you don't want to surrender, you should be very happy that your life was spared and the Geneva Convention was followed TO THE LETTER unlike what happened to the other alleged terrorists. :(

And, I was kind of sad that it is mostly C. Boylan, Legion, and myself doing the political commentary. "Wait! Let's hear from Chloe straight from her beautiful heart on these matters. She didn't appreciate this mess, either!"

You were right. I really needed to read that one!

Peace and love,
Gabe

P.S. Awesome picture!

[John Stussy]

A poetc story of a tragic event. All of the views you mention in this piece touched me deeply, but for some reason the stanza through the eyes of a dog really hit me hard. Most likely that feeling of guilt, doing something wrong when innocence is complete. That tragedy tore up many lives, and it will not be forgotten. We as fellow human beings will build this from the ground though, not the physical city, but the home that it was. For, New Orleans was much more than a plot of land, it is home for many, the setting of lives, memories dear to people.

Touching triute Chloe.

[None]

This is an excellent reminder and thank you for opening eyes again to the devastation and death that occured in New Orleans. Katrina is to blame and why this had to happen I'll never know. All I know is when we needed a plan there and leadership --it came way too late or not at all.
"The world through the eyes of a city
Her people dead and dying
she has let them down
she tried to keep them safe
she cries and feels her soil rotting in the muddy water of decay and death"
You tell it like it is here and that's what needs to be said and remembered!! Thank you.