Recalling Katrina eight years later

Eight years ago Katrina raged!
In history’s book she claimed a page!
Her temper tantrum terrorized
that city by the Gulf.

Old Man River’s mouth was sore.
It bled for half a year (or more).
The hemorrhaging of New Orleans
resisted tourniquets.

As thousands fled from flooded homes,
they camped out in the Super Dome.
Deprived of worth and dignity,
they grieved for what they’d lost.

But the Big Easy refused to die.
When life got hard and grownups cried,
their will to rise above the storm
was music to our ears!

Yes, all that jazz can still be heard.
It drowns out memories time has blurred
and if you listen carefully
you may hear flutists play.

They’ve gathered down in New Orleans
in hot pursuit of lifelong dreams
and if that “Cajun will” rubs off
who knows how far they’ll go?

* As the nation prepares to recall the devastation caused by Katrina eight years ago, the National Flute Convention is taking place in New Orleans. The poet’s daughter is performing there this weekend.