Unexpected, in the early dawn, I feel and hear a rumble
A tremulous tossing and turning and then a blackness I can't control
Struggling to stand, the ground like the ocean's surface
I stumble then fall, my heart hammering as the world spins around me
Shelves falling, TV falling, my own sense of the apocalypse
I cry, "WOAHHHHH, GET OUTSIDE! ! ! ! ! "
We scramble from the third floor clutching walls, railings
Descending the dark stairwell barefooted and half dressed
We hear the steel structures groan and whine
"Which direction is up? Which path is forward? "
I thought I was going to die
Hotel guests turning round and round. Others just sitting on their bed with a dazed look
Pieces of the ceiling, broken pipes, smoke, and powdered plaster
When re-imagining the lobby, I picture a bar fight at the Coyote
No soul unscathed in such a decor
"Did it shake you to the bone? "
A piercing silence
"On tsunami watch now, I guess? "
Amidst the wreckage, realization sets in
It's going to be a long day at the Eagle River Hotel
Another tremor rattles my numb body
Nerves frayed with shellshock
Outside, a giant snow globe
Our fate in the future tense unclear
I pass people but they say nothing. Dazed zombies
Caught up in their own tragedies
In the light of day, scattered debris, mounds of asphalt
Police car lights and fire sirens
The whole town begins buzzing, talking, talking, talking about the fallout
and the destruction but not letting misfortune win
What way forward?
People come to one another's aid
Rebuild, revive. A course aimed at giving new hope
From the turmoil comes a new, reassembled configuration
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem