After reading a spread in the Sunday paper about the disaster in Joplin, I decided to try and do a haiku recap, like news in poetry form.
Trees, once leafy oaks
Stand as mangled trunks, naked
Anchored by their roots.
The question now is,
"Do I want to live here still?
Or start somewhere new?"
Like 9/11
There's life before the storm
And life after it.
We will overcome
We will rebuild this city
Gotta believe it.
Address: FEMAville
Neighborhood, not livelihood.
Home for a few months?
Working on a plan
Seeking out debris dump sites
Can't we recycle?
Another landfill
Millions of tons of rubble
Buried in the ground :(
American flags
Flying proud from the wreckage
Homeless optimists :)
We're undecided
Should we stay, or should we go?
No easy answer.
Battered businesses
With plywood-covered windows
Post "We're open" signs
Back to work again
Chainsaws start cutting into
The tornado scar
And just for fun, I created a Wordle out of these haikus, which I featured in yesterday's post as a teaser for today~
I used to go through Joplin occasionally during the 1980's when I lived in Arkansas. I think most of those residents are going to stay. There is an unbelievable spirit in Joplin.
ReplyDeleteVery touching post.