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.

[Cold Coffee Magazine]

thank you for sharing this......that whole scene was a black eye for our goverment, our country.

Dave

[[untitled]]

Yes Chloe, 'We the people' don't count anymore and the Bush administration knows only too well who THEIR master is!!! Has it really been a year since Katrina? I can't believe that the city is still under the aftermath of flood deluge with inapt levees and that the people are still wandering around aimlessly, what a disgrace. We in Australia cannot imagine people being treated like this.
You have covered every aspect of loneliness and despair right down to the family dog. You have done this so well that it should be sent to your local paper. Kudos...
Love,
Helen :-)

[Gary H]

I think this is important to keep in peoples minds what has happened here - a whole culture of life destroyed and not replaced. Some of the great blues music came from New Orleans - where will it come from now? James Bond filmed part of Live and Let Die around the idea of New Orleans.
Imagine if this happened in Washington. Would this area now be dead and buried? I think Mr Bush should consider his views on his own country rather than others for a change......but what do I know? All I can do is ask questions......
Loved the one word lines here that convey so much meaning. Have a feeling my original review was better than this but I still feel the anger about the aftermath.
Well written.

[An Ordinary Woman]

A beautiful tribute to the people that have long suffered and a very moving piece, Chloe.

So much to be said here, I don't know where to begin. I have family that lived there, and friends too, all is lost now, all of it, thank God their lives were spared but all they had is simply gone ...

[Baby Boy]

You couldn't be more right with this write sweetie! Every word you have spoken is oh so true and I'm glad to see that people like you still cares and doesn't forget the pain and suffering that those poor families felt! This was an awesome write Miss Chloe and I can see you have a big heart! :) God bless you and the fine people of New Orleans! :) One luv gurl!

-JC-

[Beautifully Tragic xPoe..]

Great job, Chloe, enjoyed this one. It's sad what happened to the people of New Orleans and the damn government not helping in the least. Such a shame.


Great Write.
Rayne

[Natalie C and Gary H Co..]

Chloe, this was such a beautiful piece (if I am allowed to say that) Sometimes one feels guilty saying that it was a pleasure reading about somebody else's despair. However what a fitting way to remember those who lost more than just their homes.
I really loved the fact how you included all the different aspects about society, from the homeless man, who yes, also lost his home to a poor wet doggy waiting for some sort of rescue...

Wonderfully said, I really loved this
Nats

[Celtic Cat]

Absolutely stunning and a beautiful tribute to those who suffered directly the tragedy. The picture itself took me aback, I hadn't seen that footage. A friend and I contemplated going down to help, not sure what got in our way...most likely work or school. This is a beautiful piece, heartwrenching and direct. It pierces where it should, softens as it should, and reunites the bonds born of tragedy. Excellent tribute, my friend.

[R J Askew]

A great write. The words on the page feel secondary to the power of the passion behind them. Indignation and hurt and with a rallying cry at the end. The repetition of the 'through the eyes' theme I like very much as you show the disaster through different perspectives. And I like the way the eye gets bigger...especially the eye of the city which was very emotional. The gaffs of Bush and his fixer afterwards added to the wound. And then of course the inquest into why the levvies failed.

In the UK house prices are through the roof and there is demand for about 500,000 more homes. The plan is to build them on KNOWN FLOOD plains. There have already been some bad floods in the last few years and there is talk of the new houses being uninsureable ... yet the politicians shrugg and carry on with the plan. They will put the plug sockets a yard up the walls it seems.

Katrina may not be the last of her ilk as climate change makes itself felt. Sadly. Great poem.

[Rain]

Brilliant look at a disaster from all angles. Listen to Randy Newmans " Louisiania (1927)" It talks about the flood of 27. 6 ft of water on the streets of Evangelina. The government has known about the potential for a hellish disaster since then. Local , State, and Federal. So many people to blame, but it doesn't change the hell they endured. They're thinking now, it can't ever be fixed. What's really sad, is that New Orleans was just one shot of the horror. My friend on the coastline of Mississippi saw their whole city leveled..countless deaths..no cameras..no Fema. They survived only by Americans who just filled up cars, pickups, U Hauls and drove hundreds of miles looking for people to help. The government did nothing. We..Americans..rose up and helped total strangers. They lost everything. They still are cleaning up. Very important piece. We need to be reminded, because I promise within the next five years, a dam will break, a bridge will collapse, a skyscraper will fall, and earth quake will kill thousands, or we will be hit with a nuclear weapon. Great piece. Rain..