December 14, 1963. The peace of a Saturday afternoon shattered by helicopters. Police cars cover the streets, bull horns at full volume.
ATTENTION! DAM CRACKING!
EMERGENCY! EVACUATE!
People
rushing outside. What dam? Where?
"Didn't
you know? In those hills."
"No,
we didn't know. Just moved here two weeks ago."
courtyard
Christmas tree–
silver
ornamentsreflect the sun
EVACUATE….NOW…NOW!
Turn off
the oven. Grab the two children,
bottles, diapers. What else? We don't know. Take one car.
Don't be separated. Lock the
door. East? West?
North. To my mother's house.
Rock and
roll on the car radio. Jingle Bells and Rudolph. Where's the news? Another block, then another. A slow moving line of cars. Tense faces and short tempers.
"It's
going….going…It's GONE! Gushing water…
gaining momentum… cutting a swath down the hillside along Cloverdale
Road." The announcer, reporting
from a helicopter, is breathless.
"Still coming…292 million gallons…trees uprooted…houses breaking
apart…cars tumbling."
Our apartment is not in the direct path, but still… In silence we worry. Traffic begins to thin out as we travel further north.
Our apartment is not in the direct path, but still… In silence we worry. Traffic begins to thin out as we travel further north.
puffy
clouds–
at
a neighborhood playgroundchildren play dodge ball
We watch
the news at my parents' house. An hour
and a half to empty the dam. Nine feet
of water on the Village Green apartments.
Five dead. Eighteen rescued from
roof tops and collapsed houses.
Early the next morning we are allowed in the
area temporarily. Already a sour smell from dirty water and debris. At our
apartment door, a water line at two feet, but only a puddle inside. Our Volkswagen–the engine, clogged with mud.
It could have been worse.
Sunday
church bellsIt could have been worse.
to and from the door
the sucking mud
Shamrock #5, Jan. 2008
11 comments:
Well done, Adelaide. The balance of prose and verse is somehow exactly right.
Thank you, Bill. Every year I remember that day and our surprise at the news on such a quiet, normal Saturday morning.
Adelaide
awesome, the text is exiting, great end haiku with a most surprising Line3
much love...
Thanks, Gillena. Glad you enjoyed this.
Adelade
What a welcome to the neighborhood! Riveting work.
We downloaded your book onto Kindle last night. Haven't had a chance to look at it yet ... but thanks! jld
Thanks, Janet. I hope you enjoy it. I would greatly appreciate it if you could take the time to write a review of An Unknown Road.
all the best,
Adelaide
I'm not at all an expert at haiku - barely write any myself - so I couldn't write a decent formal review. But is it on Amazon? I could add a review there.
Duh, never mind my question. Of course it would be on Amazon since it's a Kindle book. (Is hubby's Kindle. Hopefully sometime I can tear him away from it to read your book!)
Hi Janet,
You needn't write a formal review. Say anything you like or don't like about the book, but don't feel you have to write a review.
You'll have to get your own Kindle. My hubby and I don't always read the same books, so we had to have separate Kindles. Actually, they were gifts from our children who insist on us keeping up to date with technology.
Adelaide
That good - your children helping you keep up-to-date! My husband's a techy type, but I'm always lagging behind. Sure, give me some time, but I'd be happy to post an Amazon review/comments.
Without grateful thanks.
Adelaide
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