wind rain part two

by henry burt stevens
www.authorsden.com/henrybstevens 
02/14/2006

hey man, stick
where you landed

there's nothing
to go back to

there's too much
in default

besides your mortgage
which has already

been foreclosed on
your contract

you can't redeemed
in any way

your land is ready
for redevelopment

forget about it
poor boy

your right to
transportation, mobility

was never honored
before certainly not now

that's why you ended
up at the stadium

a holding pen
awaiting transportation

far, far beyond the
county line across

many county lines
so far away

you'll never make it back
you can't believe you're

where you are but
you'll sink down roots

take what you can get
find work where you

find programs help
at hand in walking distance

what part of diaspora
don't you understand, boy.

.......................................................................

This is the poem written Sept 18, after the horror or Katrina had started to develop, and the direction of the disaster for many people had started to take shape.

wind, rain

by Henry Burt Stevens
09/18/2005
www.authorsden.com/henrybstevens

only wind only rain
merely rising water
buckling the veneer
that had covered over

our lack of real protection
and genuine preparedness
the curtain parted
exposing poverty

as the reality we do
not want to see
so many of them
who knew, who cared

too poor to leave when ordered
but gathered together seeking shelter
protection for themselves
their children their infirm

all bonded poor now in a diaspora
that will not return them to
embarrass the construction the wealth
that will pour forth to rebuild.

...................................................................................

This is the poem written the evening before Katrina made land fall.

Tears Katrina
by Henry Burt Stevens
www.authorsden.com
08/28/2005

Written by Henry Burt Stevens 5:26 PM EDT August 28, 2005
Henry with family, sheltered, rode out the eye of Charley Hurricane
Catagory 4 August 13, 2004 Charlotte County, Florida, USA

Tears tonight for those
in Katrina's way
waiting for the crumpled
roofs and walls

water entering every
opening no matter
how  small or partially closed
wetting totally total contents

the wind will make noises
few people have heard-
it's unforgettable, but
brings tears to my eyes

even now knowing what
awaits you in the night
when huddled with flashlight
you hear the wind rise

then fall dead calm, rises again
the wind sound now mixed
with thuds. snaps, crashes
of broken debris now airborne

sometime the all clear will sound
it's over and each will
find what's left of what
they had besides tears, tears.
.................................................................................