New Orleans Poem by Maria C. Pires Costa

No food, no electricity, no home, no prompt help!
Everywhere the catastrophic signs left by Hurricane Katrina
With the unacceptable authorities'delay...
Towards relief efforts in the social arena!

Once, on the Mississippi river, this famous city -
The Big Easy -
Remembered for its traditional Mardi Gras and brassbands
Lavish with its intense street and night life
Ebullient across the French Quarter
And the legendary Bourbon Street
Now it is empty and still flooded
Sounding ghostly and hugely damaged! !


(5th Sept 2005)