Milton Passed Over Poem by Deanna Samuels

Did a hurricane really happen here five days ago?
I, so recently arrived, what is seen now, little sign,
each blade of grass is in its place,
paths are clean, no debris afoot,
front lawns neat and flower beds tidy,
no wires down, maybe a few pantiles missing,
cars neatly parked on spotless driveways.

Did Milton even happen in this small estate?
Did its gales and torrents as it did in other areas,
rip through, lifting off whole roofs and felling trees,
flooding basements, smashing walls
ripped out power and swamping highways,
causing residents to evacuate to higher ground.

Yes, Milton did rage through a wide mid-Floridian area
taking its toll, leaving devastation in its wake,
but somehow though, here in this sleepy enclave,
a little enclave of a miracle,
Milton's force placed not its anger,
laid perhaps a token of its wrath,
some branches down, a few tiles gone,
ripped pool nets and leaving lots of leafy mounds.

Quickly though, busy grounds folk got to work,
starting up their mowers, garbage trucks, using rakes,
removed downed branches and broken fronds,
replaced lost pantiles and torn mosquito netting,
cleared and swept and tidied up the fallen debris.
Walking around now, in this lovely estate of bungalows,
in this little enclave of a miracle,
there is no sign that Milton left his card.


Written in Orlando - 17th October 2024