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| Island of Barbuda left 'a rubble' by Hurricane Irma as Prime Minister says 90 per cent of buildings destroyed —Mirror Online, September 7, 2017 |
We reach for superlatives,
devastation dragging us
beyond speech. What lies
on the other side of End Times?
What does completely feel like?
A high percentage of framed homes
will be destroyed, with total roof failure
and wall collapse.
Before, we had a view
from our open window. Now,
there is no window.
Fallen trees and power poles will isolate
residential areas. Power outages will last
for weeks to possibly months.
Our habits powered our bodies,
opinions towing us through the feed
like a plane its banner, a boat its skier.
In the aftermath, we gather
wherever there is a signal,
pulsing distress.
Most of the area will be uninhabitable
for weeks or months.
Elsewhere, others continue about their business
as we dig out. Someday, this will be story,
we soothe fellow sufferers.
We cannot wait.
Editor’s Note: Italicized lines as well as the poem’s title are found in “No, Hurricane Irma Won’t Be a ‘Category 6’ Storm,” The New York Times, September 6, 2017.
Devon Balwit is a writer/teacher from Portland, OR. Her poems have appeared in TheNewVerse.News, Poets Reading the News, Redbird Weekly Reads, Rise-Up Review, Rat's Ass Review, The Rising Phoenix Review, Mobius, What Rough Beast, and more.
