The Fury Of Hurricane Katrina Poem by Joseph T. Renaldi

Once upon a gloomy day in New Orleans,
Evacuate! Evacuate! was the urgent cry,
But many residents did not heed the warning,
And merely responded with a sigh.

Hurricane Katrina approaches The Crescent City
With powerful, whirling winds creating huge waves,
Towering cloud masses producing heavy rain,
The fury of the hurricane resorting to destructive ways.

Years ago, levees were built to protect the city
To hold back the rising water of Lake Pontchartrain.
Then people marveled and felt secure
If a hurricane brought a deluge of rain.

Wait - Slowly at last comes the dawn
Waking up the inundated earth,
Filling hearts with helplessness and despair,
And forgetting about the hurricane's birth.

A brilliant sun hovers over the horror- struck city
With survivors clinging desperately to rooftops in fear.
Energetic workers and rescue helicopters appear,
The stench and putrid water difficult to bear.

As people and time cross the bayou,
And hurricane victims' search for a new road,
The festivities of the Mardi Gras wait on the wing.
Surely - New Orleans will rise again as foretold.