We stayed on the island,

No place to go, surrounded by water,

Kids crying, dogs barking, parents scared,

The home we were in large enough for all,

Slept we did with others and in pairs…

Food running low, water non-existent,

Dad said mom and I must go, he was very insistent,

In low over the marshes they came,

Big helicopters from the National guard, they did claim,

Landed in the Methodist church parking lot, over there we did ride,

In the back of a large pickup truck plowing through water and wreckage,

Dad had to stay, he was the civil defense’ chief assistant…

Mom and I bid farewell to my home of Sea Isle,

From the air all that could be seen was the boardwalk gone,

The homes there as well strewn on the beach and the streets,

Farewell to my town of my youth, a place where I did play,

A place where I did love and wish to never in this manner go away…

From the mainland into busses we were herded,

Taken to Philadelphia and points west to our families,

They waited at the station and to their cars we were rushed,

Mom told me to keep quiet, daddy was okay, again I was hushed,

Stayed with my aunt and uncle, what a pair, a whole other story,

Those two and their kids could be given a book of their own quite gory,

So we moved to my Dads brothers, again in Philly,

There some normalcy did abound,

Placed was I in the tub & some clothing was found…

Mom finally broke down,

I don’t remember much,

She cried and missed my dad I guess and such,

The world did not end,

Sea Isle was already on the mend,

The next summer the beaches did re-open…

© ed ~ 2/4/06