Hurricane arts

By Joe Hischer
2theadvocate.com staff writer
Several of you have submitted poems and songs about the recent tragedy following Hurricane Katrina. Here are a few:

This one comes from Karla Glaser:

On August 29th, we fell to our knees
and wondered to ourselves how could this be.
A city of gumbo, and all that jazz
The place that we loved, we no longer have
Families, elders, and so many others
Babies were found with no trace of mothers
People were begging for water and food, trying to survive and make it through
This awful time that we never imagined
How could something like this ever happen?
But through this hard time we are pulling together
To improve this disaster and make things get better.
Katrina may have knocked us off of our feet.
But Louisiana will restore the beautiful southeast.
Through this trying time of tears and madness
We will stick together to ease the sadness
The Cabildo, Du Monde, and the D-day museum
The Aquarium, and Bourbon, we will all see again.
We will pull together and dry our tears.
We will hug, and donate, and volunteer.
Victims of Katrina, hold on tight
Keep your faith you will soon see the light.
Lets put aside race and forget about class,
Lets all join together, to make this our past.
We will strive and succeed at restoring the land
Of this place named New Orleans, the city so grand.

---

This poem comes from Ruth Atwell Pierre:

Where Were You And What Did You DO (When Katrina Blew )

Where were you when Katrina hewn her path
when she poured out her wrath.
When she opened her horrid mouth,
And devoured America's beautiful south.
Were you carefree,
living in a haven of safety
Were you fearfully seeking shelter from her catastrophic winds.
while franticly looking for kin and friends
Did the survivor in you arise as hunger began to take its toll.
Or did lustful greed have you looting a television in exchange for
your soul.
While forced to live like a beast in a cage,
Were you a gentle one or did you violate others with a rapist's rage.'
Did you lend the vulnerable your hand,
Or bury your head in the sand.
Were you in the spirit of prayer for those who were in harms way,
Or were you consumed by your day.
What did you do with this news,
while the winds were calm and the skies still sunny and blue
Did you prepare for the worst and pray for the best,
Or were you of a slothful spirit of which God detests.
Did you fall with a prayerful spirit upon your knees,
Or in Him do you not believe.
I can tell you where I was and what I did do.
And hope you can say it was the same for you.
In my home is where I was nestled in place.
surrounded by the Father's arms, spared by His mercy and grace.
Why or how I do not understand, that it was me,
One of many that was spared from Katrina's reign of tyranny.
For myself I find my eyes filling with tears of relief,
intertwined with tears for others of astronomical proportions of
grief.
In my heart resides and attitude of eternal praise,
As my hands to God, I do raise.
Katrina's winds blow no more.
Rest assured the South shall be restored!

---

Alex Kashevaroff sends a link to a CD he recorded here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kashalex5
You can order the CD or listen to them for free from his site.

If you would like to contribute, post them in the comments below.