Sunday, Sept. 5, 2004, near Palm Bay, FL, after Hurricane Frances.
(Staff Photo/Robert Duyos) © 2005, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Waiting for Hurricane Matthew, it seems like an appropriate time to post my hurricane paean....
Waiting for Katrina
8/25/05
Laura Sue Wilansky
© 2005 Laura Sue Wilansky
Reading poetry while waiting for Katrina
Not exactly like waiting for Godot
But still there are some things to ponderCoffee and potato chips make a perfectly acceptable breakfast
And French toast a great dinner
Might as well cook something complicated while the power’s still on
I’ve got plenty of time and nothing to do
But shelter my plants
And watch the news
Take out the garbage
And watch the news
Do the laundry
And watch the newsThe surfers are raving about the waves
And the reporters, admonishing them, still obligingly air their every utterance
Hurricane surfers in Florida all sound like poseurs
And the reporters sound like idiotsI’d rather read the missives crudely painted on shutters
That’s how the really hip express themselves while waiting for hurricanes.I’ve had some of the best times ever waiting for hurricanes
Eating summer rolls and sharing poems with Jado while waiting for Charley
Walking on Hillsboro Beach before Andrew
He was my first - I was a hurricane virgin then....I think my favorite - the one that can never be topped -
was Floyd
When big bad radio abandoned all pretense of corporate profiteering
And played “All Floyd All the time!”
For days!
It was wonderful.....
If only it could have gone on forever.....It’s a peculiar time
Waiting for a hurricane
Most of the world goes crazy, then strangely calm, as business grinds to a halt
The light becomes threateningly soft
The birds disappear
Where do birds go during hurricanes?I finally have time to slow down
and thinkIs it bad karma to wish the storm on someone else
and Schadenfreude to be glad when it goes there?
How can I be happy that we were spared
When others are in ruins?
Is it delusional to think there’s been divine intervention on my behalf?There’s no question I’ve been lucky.
There is some question as to whether I deserved it.
There is no question I’ve been grateful.The reporters seem completely unaware of what’s really important
Making mountains out of molehills as usual, or should I say, out of sand....
Telling us again and again and again
and againWhat do I care about Mariah’s cancelled private party?
Mine is better...
Shoes off, bra off
Ice and candles readyWaiting for a hurricane is a form of meditation
And so I wait.
See my Birds Page for more on where birds go during hurricanes!
To read more of my poetry, please visit my Poetry Page and my More Poetry Page!
