He makes his way
over miles of ocean
gathering strength
looking like a threat.
Bold landfall in Cuba
slices off the power,
leaves families homeless
his eye aimed at the U.S.
He twirls himself
into a nasty CAT 4 frenzy
with evil on his mind,
makes landfall in SWFL
coastal area, a tattered jumble
of splintered wood,
pummeled watercraft,
buckled roadways,
fallen trees, naked palms,
demolished neighborhoods
of empty footprints
where homes had stood.
He steals power, water,
peace of mind. Provides
a lesson in storm surge,
people plucked from rooftops,
bridges destroyed,
barrier islands disconnected,
loss of life to be determined.
Those who decided
to ride it out may have paid
the ultimate price.
He stomps across the State
blows off the notion
of losing energy,
closes Disney, floods Orlando,
attacks the east coast
before he turns north,
still a hurricane, he
taunts the coast of South Carolina
as a CAT 1.
Winds howling, rain battering,
he marches inland
to continue the attack.
Big wind field, power outages,
post-tropical system, more rainfall,
floods threatening, trees topple.
Damage by the force of water
no longer underestimated.
Along his violent trail
survivors are stunned, eyes wide,
stripped of what they took
for granted, grasping to pick up,
go forward, holding each other
realizing possessions
can be replaced.
About the Poem
We sat glued to The Weather Channel as Hurricane Ian delivered massive destruction to areas of Florida before making his way to North and South Carolina and beyond. At this time, search and rescue efforts are still underway. Residents and business owners are contemplating how to recover from this epic storm.
About the Author
Lois Perch Villemaire, originally from the Philadelphia area, is a longtime resident of Annapolis, MD where she is inspired by the charm of a colonial town and the glorious Chesapeake Bay. After retirement from a career in local government, she concentrated on her love of writing. Dabbling in family research has inspired poetry, memoir, and creative nonfiction. Her work has appeared in a number of journals such as Ekphrastic Review, Flora Fiction, and One Art: A Journal of Poetry, and has been included in several anthologies. Lois enjoys yoga practice, amateur photography, and raising African violets.