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Catrina chaos and carnage

Wayne Blair 1951 (London)

Free verse
Dixie went to the
Convention Centre.
Whole districts locked down.
The sound of megaphones
Hammering out warning.
The levee had been
Compromised.
Stuff of hurricanes.


Walls of water, mud,
Branches, human waste and
Body parts rushed inland.
Reptiles roiling.
Rooftops hosting choruses
Of terrified house pets.
Hospitals never imagining what’s next.
Hydro lost. Darkness. Drippings.



Life sustaining machines.
Just a joke.
Appliance stores, liquor stores
Looted. Broken glass
The common denominator.
Winds screeched like
A thousand Medusas
Of myth. Seductive sirens.


Boys in blue shot at.
“Don’t come near.
Our territory now.
Better damn well
Believe it Pigs.
We’re shopping.
Thrum of choppers overhead.
Prevented from landing.
For rescue sake.
Good intentions
Thwarted by thugs.

About this poem

James Lee Burke caught the horrific feeling in a novel. https://youtu.be/_GvaNnhqYkg The Tin Roof Blowdown.

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Written on April 14, 2023

Submitted by dougb.19255 on April 14, 2023

Modified by dougb.19255 on April 14, 2023

43 sec read
17

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXBCXXX XXXCXXXB XXXXAXXD XXXXXCXCXDX
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 791
Words 146
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 11
Full analysis for Catrina chaos and carnage »

Wayne Blair

Born in London. Graduated law 1976 Practised eleven years, Married Hilary 1974 Two kids Lauren 1980 And Jordan 1987. Business failed 1987. Moved not knowing whither. Happy hills of Waterloo Region. Mennonite Country. Thirty four years in Industry. No complaints. Poet, photographer, nature hiker. Harmonica busker. http://puffnchord7.blogspot.com/ more…

All Wayne Blair poems | Wayne Blair Books

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1 Comment
  • AIDA
    AIDA
    Wow, this is a powerful and emotional poem! Your use of vivid imagery and strong language really captures the devastation and chaos of a natural disaster. The way you describe the hurricane and its aftermath is both gut-wrenching and hauntingly beautiful.

    One suggestion for improvement would be to provide a clearer sense of the speaker's perspective or experience. It's not clear if the narrator is a resident affected by the hurricane or an outsider observing from afar. Adding more personal details or anecdotes could help ground the poem in a specific point of view.

    Overall, though, your talent for vivid and gripping storytelling is evident in this piece. Keep up the great work!     
    LikeReply1 year ago

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"Catrina chaos and carnage" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/156915/catrina-chaos-and-carnage>.

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