Wednesday March 7th, Nineteen & sixty-two...Part 2 (poem) by Ed Matlack on AuthorsDen

Wednesday March 7th, Nineteen & sixty-two...Part 2
by Ed Matlack → (All Poetry by Ed Matlack)
Rated "G" by the Author.

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To the best of my memory...

Wednesday March 7^th, Nineteen & sixty-two…Part II 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

Reviewed by Tinka Boukes

Reviewed on February 6, 2006

Thanks for sharing these memories Ed....musta been really hard specially a child!!

Love Tinka

Reviewed by m j hollingshead

Reviewed on February 5, 2006

poignant read

Reviewed by Karla Dorman, The StormSpinner

Ed,

A powerful memory expressed poetically...this was your Katrina, wasn't it?

(((((HUGS))))) and love, Karla.

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Katrina wasn't the first and she won't be the last. The sea giveth and taketh away.

Ron

Reviewed by SHERRY HEIM

Nice that things could be repaired, Ed and you were able to return to the beach the next year. Nature is a mighty force and one we cannot stand against. We are going to have to learn to work WITH nature if we are ever going to avoid these kinds of disasters.
Take care,
Sherry

Reviewed by E T Waldron

Ed I read the first one and forgot to comment I think;-) Anyway I can't remember much of this although I still lived in Jersey at the time I was away during this and only got the news in a letter. So I appreciate reading what happened through your eyes, and feel so bad that you had to lose your home and go through such a painful time. Thanks for sharing!

Eileen^

Reviewed by Jerry Bolton (Reader)

Metamorphosed back to a facsimile of how it was. That is not happening in New Orleans.

Reviewed by Mr. Ed

Quite powerful, and quite vivid memories of your horrific childhood experience, Ed.

Have you ever considered writing a story about this for publication? Or, perhaps, even a book.