STILL

Mother Nature's Ravages...remnants

The sky is clear today

yet the landscape transforms day to day

my heart pains to see colorless matter

still, as it was before

 

Houses sweep over giant boulders to river’s end

today, crumbled pieces of……

one man and his dog wait too long on his roof

and he tumbles with his house onto piles of wet earth

of what once was a crystal-clear lake

now a mud pond

he dies

sticks and stones surround

piles of them, once many homes

 

Bridges collapse under force of murky water

flows at immense speed from mountaintops to destroy

deep crevices, still

personal remnants along the roadside, still

food and water needs, still

the morgue, silent with unidentified bodies, still

 

I cannot foresee the future of this corner of the world

and how mother nature devastates

It is an unending battle to recover, still

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

Thank you for reading

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

A devastating scene Betty. We see it on tv, but have never had to live it. This is a heart breaking account of the aftermath of a catastrophic event. A life taker, a destroyer of all people have known. And then the salvage operation. How hard that must be to begin again. Fine writing dear Betty 🌹


Chris

[Betty Hermelee]

Dear Chris
Still reeling from the disaster! It changed our whole landscape ; thank you for your understanding and review
I think I still have PTSD from it
Hope you are well🌷🌷🌷🌷
Warmly
B😊

[Soren]

A dark write about real events that we see every day on the news. Sad and hard to understand but it has been so from the beginning

[Betty Hermelee]

A rue and heartfelt review….thank you my friend for this….🙏
Warmly, B

[Webster]

I read through this poem and it brought me to thinking of how the world changes around you. Not just what nature brings, both good and the harsh, to reclaim what once was. But, I also see change in what we as people do to our surroundings. There's always change happening around us, what mother nature gave us, we tear down and build, and then tear down and rebuild some more, this never-ending cycle until it's all washed away and mother nature takes back what was hers, while we on this side only see what we lost. It's so complex and this poem i feel personifies more than what's written in the words. Thank you dear Betty for such beautifully penned words.

[Betty Hermelee]

Your review is so thoughtful, reflective...Thank you for this...much appreciated!
Warmly, B

[Lorry]

In one corner of the world this is happening and in many corners of the Internet are saying "I told you so. We're all doomed!"
To be honest it's getting harder to argue with them, as we seem to be intent on being led by the least among us and believing them when their wishy thinking equates to little more than "well, it might not be that bad!"
I remember when politicians and those elected to lead us at least pretended they knew what they were doing, buy now I just don't know who to believe anymore.
One thing is for sure though. Old Ma nature is really ticked off at something or someone. I just hope she doesn't think all us humans are as pesky and smites us all down!

[Betty Hermelee]

I hope not Lorry, That would be terrible; thanks for your lovely review!
Warmly, B

[peter Charlesworth]

What a terrible storm you have created.
Buildings; houses; homes destroyed/ washed away; with the people who lived there
Out to the sea, never to be seen again.

No just stay a while - Look at the TV.

What do you see
Homes; streets; buildings, are being washed away > in one country raging fires.
Consuming forests, buildings; complete townships gone, just ashes.

What you described was/ IS reality.

[Betty Hermelee]

For sure Peter....and recover is still going on!
Thank you for your kind review
Warmly, B

[Şenay]

Especially where I live we have eartquakes from time to time and the loss of many relatives and friends will be in our heart forever.

A touching piece about natural disaster that you described very well. Thank you for sharing. Ş

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you for your understanding review...I guess you can relate
Warmly, B

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

whi.e the news can show us images of the devestation wrought, words bring to light the inner struggle in the face of loss. that word "still" really stings. knowing that it's not over yet, that the suffering persists. it is a slow twisting of the knife. but even in this work, hope is not completely absent. the first stanza 'The sky is clear today'. so as we all transform day to day, we might be able to put the grief behind us. this is no exactly a consoling idea, but it is a silver lining however faint.

there might not be much light... but it sure beats the darkness -- Charles Bukowski.

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you Ern...for a very understanding amd heartfelt review, much appreciated...
Warmly, B

[MCS]

A sober read my friend.
We have not been at the helm in a long time. Our failure to self-correct is going to be our undoing.

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you for a fine review
Warmly, B

[Dara]

How soon the world seems to forget how Western Carolina was ravaged. It doesn’t take long for another natural disaster such as the fires in LA take over the news yet your profound poem reminds of the suffering that is ongoing. Pray that more people are getting assistance and finding relief. Well done!

[Betty Hermelee]

MY dear Dara
you are so right...the memories of these diasters linger on and on...thank you for a very truthful and heartfelt review....
Warmly, B