gulf waters

Wednesday December 13th, 2005 9:45 am….
Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

gulf waters

looking at the gulf waters
so calm and still
the sun shines bright
on the water
miles and miles of coast
with trees dressed in
shards of ripped and torn
pieces of grass, of wire
radiators, plastic bags
sheets, a pink bra
trees at a 90’ angle
broken and bent
in sharp angles
refrigerators busted open
stanking to high heaven and three blocks away
spilling foam and plastic
so many white sheets and striped mattresses
caught in the tangle of pines
that have lost their favored place
in the warm sun
near the great gulf waters

in the background, the hum of tractors
sheets of orange netted plastic dangling
blowing gently in the breeze
those waters really had their way with this land
her people have to surrender to the water
to survive

folks here have that tough
gritty, black starry look in their eyes
the kind of look, that when you go in
you see so much going on
it looks like the embers in a fire
they have lived thru a force of nature so strong
so vicious and mean
the soul of a person looks back and remembers only the waters
surrounding them
while tables and chairs
sideboards
neighbors’ tables
float by thru the front door
and out the house from a 3rd floor window
talking about how lucky they were
to have a few bottles of scotch floating by
so they have something to wash their hands with
cause when the waters went down
they had nothing, saw nothing, couldn’t do anything
for three days till the water and the mud subsided

so i’m sitting in this gulf sun
coming down this christmas to carol for folks
i’m sitting close to the ocean, by a salt water pool
what i suspect is leftover from those great waters
i see a solitary whooping crane, looks like a sole survivor
moving really slowly through the water
i’m wondering if her legs are ok
she’s kind of staggering across the water
stopping every now and then
to stretch her neck and lean down to feed
there’s a few cricket sounds
but things are very quiet here this morning
except for the handsaws, the hammers, the bulldozers
in a lazy rhythm with the generator
some of those FEMA trailers with their blue tops
have brand new CHAMPION CHIPPERS
spitting out all those mossy Live Oak trees
like popcorn
the MORRELL FOUNDATION tent
looms white and large behind me
and volunteers and workers from all around
start drifting in for breakfast or coffee
a tiny white guard house is being built
wires going in slowly
sensors, lights
so when darkness falls, and there’s no moon
you can still see in the night

s.j.