All items are
included with permission of the original writers/artists, where appropriate.
They may see the good you do as self serving.
Continue to do good.
They may see your generosity as grand standing.
Continue to be generous.
They may see your warm and caring nature as a weakness.
Continue to be warm and caring.
For you see, in the end it is between you and God.
It never was between you and them anyway.
Author Unknown
As posted on
the Sun Herald Hurricane Katrina forum:
Five months later
I sit and wonder why
I was allowed to live
While others had to die
Is there a reason
That only He knows
Why so many perished
Amongst the rubble that still shows.
Five months later
All I do is cry
For all of the destruction
And the pain standing by
People still in tents
Waiting for the aid
To come and help them out
While the government gets paid.
Five months later
everything is the same
We sit and wonder
How long we’ll play the game
Thanks to the country
The people of our land
Who care enough about us
To donate and take a stand
Five months later
I sit and wonder why
So many still missing
All I do is cry.
PhoenixRayne
Awaiting the 5 month anniversary
"Don't Quit," Author Unknown
When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things go wrong that you must not quit.
This is a poem written by 16 yr old Kayla Asher
Alone in this room I quietly sit
A little over a month after the hurricane hit
She tore through my house and through my heart
Sometimes I feel as if my world has fell apart
So much crying, so many tears
Life will not be the same for many more year
Each hour is a battle, each day a war
Some people ask how we’ve survived this far
I say I’m strong and nothing will hold me down
I feel as if I need tears painted on my face like a little clown
I try to be strong for everyone around me
But its hard to hide the pain so people
can’t see
Walking outside is so hard to overcome
Looking at the cement slabs makes my body feel numb
Those cement slabs actually used to be someone’s life
But Katrina blew through here and cut through our world with her
big knife
Homes were flooded, lives were destroyed
I actually met someone who’s husband was
sent here, deployed.
The first week was the hardest, not knowing if my loved ones
survived.
But we were lucky because we were not food or water deprived
Now I just sit here and wonder when if it’ll get better or not
Being happy is now something most of us have recently forgot.
Alone in this room I quietly sit
A little over a month after the hurricane hit.
This is a Lyric Poem 15 yr old Kayla Netto
Here Again
Here I am again in a place that was gone in the early dawn
No house without a doubt,
Everyone crying and tring to find
something.
Here I am again in a place gone in the early dawn
Everything gone,people searching and trin
to find there loved ones.
Everything gone from the beach all threw the Coast
Houses are down and laying all around
No one can hear you crying, the roads are muddy and memories fade.
Here I am again in a place thats gone in
the early dawn
Every thing is gone, people searching and tring to find there
loved ones.
Here I am again in a place thats gone in
the early dawn...
Here I am again in a place gone in the early dawn......
~~By; Kayla Netto~~
~January 16,06~
Poem from the SunHerald forum member witchypoo62
Did you lose it all?
Did you lose someone loved?
Did you wait in line for hours?
Were you worn out and unloved?
Hurricane Katrina came crashing through,
to take it all away,
she came with such ferocity,
it is still gone today.
In time we will rebuild,
somewhere new for some,
others will remain,
waiting for another hurricane to come.
The survivors will remember,
the "big one" that arrived,
the world will forget,
about those who survived.
Look after yourself!
Poem from the SunHerald forum member witchypoo62
Although I was thirsty and hungry and dirty,
I am alive though I am over thirty,
If they think a little hurricane can take me down,
they have another thing comin' on round.
I'm a fighter, a lover, a go out there and get it girl,
I'm a welsh born aussie that gave the
I played in the snow in midwest
Then swam in the warm ocean in the gulf ,yeah
boy.
I thought I was tough, but looking back then,
I stayed for the wind, and moved in a bit when,
The wave came ashore, thrashing and crashing,
Landing on our apartments, smashing and
bashing.
I returned to my home, or where it should be,
Not one recognizable item did I see,
I found not one photo, golf club or book,
It hit me so suddenly, water is all it took.
Katrina bore down on the coast without care,
Taking lives and homes from those that were there,
We ran away from the mess left behind,
What's there for us now? Not a thing comes to mind.
We are going to
Not in your kitchen, bathroom or anywhere,
No hurricanes there mate, you bet your life,
No pain, loss, or worry, and no bloody strife!!!
Poem from the SunHerald forum member dpiper
Today I remember….
I opened a box of treasured things….
Ruined, soggy, tattered and torn
That my loving grandmother had kept,
Even though they were old and worn
I try to remember,
And it’s not hard to do
To remember my grandmother
And all that she knew
I remember her treasures, her loves,
The things she held dear
Most of which have been destroyed,
But I do have some here.
I remember her stories
Heck, I remember her smell
I remember how I came running
To the sound of her dinner bell
I remember snuggling
Deep in her quilts
As I remember sleeping
In the house that she built
I remember the garden
And all the time she spent
To ensure perfect blooms
And exactly what that meant
I remember her pride
And her love of the coast
I remember the recipes
She loved the most
I remember her spirit
And all that she was
I thought it was all lost in that thing
FEMA calls a flood
I cried in the night
I cried in the day
For all that has been lost
And in such a horrific way
And then I make myself remember
That is not what she had
And it is not what she was
I never did lose the most important thing,
Which was her love.
Most importantly I remember her lessons
And I hold my head high
As I tenderly follow her footsteps
And continue to try
To always remember
To help the ones she helped most
The lovely, phenomenal folks of her
Song from the SunHerald forum member dpiper
(sung to the tune of We Three Kings)
A Tribute to the Stars…..
We survivors of Katrina are
Sending gifts from here and afar
Seeds and blankets, poems and jackets
Supporting our coastal stars
Chorus:
O, Stars of wonder, Stars of might,
Stars with royal beauty bright,
Avoid defeating and keep proceeding,
Guide us to do what is right.
Blankets may seem simple and plain
Basic comforts just to maintain
Warmth forever, cold Never
Bump to the top again
Chorus:
Not alot to offer have I;
The people around me holler and cry
It’s amazing and Conscious raising,
”Check it out” I silently sigh.
Chorus:
Gifts arrive by the dark of the moon
Brightening up my gathering gloom;
Laughing, Smiling, Now denying
Doubt in my faithful platoon.
Chorus:
Glorious now gifts arrive,
With a little sacrifice,
Supporters sing, "Hallelujah!"
"Hallejujah!" the Coast replies.
Ok my mind wandered.....so I threw together this silly son.
We've only just begun to help
blankets and clothing
a hug for now and we're on our way
And yes, We've just begun
Before the rising tides we live
Not many roads to know
We start to help and we learn to care
And yes, We've just begun.
Sharing belongings that are new to us,
Watching for signs along the way,
Talking it over just the group of us,
Working together day to day
Together.
And when the evening comes we pray,
So much of night ahead
We'll find a place where there's room to grow,
And yes, We've just begun.
************
http://www.vex.net/~paulmac/carpenter/lyrics/weve_only_just_begun.html
Song from the SunHerald forum member IteachASL
Ramblings of Guilt
As I look around, the sights are horrendous.
Lives are strewn to the curb in pandemonium.
Generations of belongings lain out like a yard sale gone very,
very wrong!
One can glean everything about the inhabitants of this so-called
dwelling,
if one is so bold as to look.
Their reading habits, their hobbies, their love of movies and
music
are not a secret to anyone who wishes to
peruse the piles
growing ever higher beside their tract of land.
One’s senses kick in to high gear.…
It’s the stench of rot, mud, slime, and mold.
The sight of wood swollen and warped by water to generations of
furniture
that in your gut, you just know have been
passed down.
It’s the taste of a meal that some kind person has handed to you,
and the feel of sheetrock and insulation
laden with odious water.
It’s also the sound of the chainsaws during the day, and the generators
that lull you to sleep at night.
These are the abominations and the legacy of Katrina.
Guilt over washes me, for I have lost little.
My home is fairly intact.
For what I have lost, compared to others, my family and I have
suffered little.
I have a home, I have comforts….
And most thankfully, I have all my family members!
But I have lost peace of mind.
I’ve lain in bed, crying for the mere fact I have a bed to lie in.
I’ve cried when I’ve fed my pet, thankful that she’s still with
me.
I’ve agonized over the haves and have nots.
I’ve hated the devastation I’ve seen.
I’ve detested the rivers of tears, and swollen, puffy eyes of the
brave,
not wanting to burden others with their
woes.
There is repugnance at what is left of this once beautiful area.
Will I ever get over it? Will I ever “deal”?
Though I haven’t suffered as much in an object-oriented way,
Perhaps, I too have suffered at the hands of Katrina?
© ~!~ Becky ~!~
We Are Family by Sister Sledge
Modified by Vicki aka Calidoll
Ok sing it with me now ....(I thought I
would have to edit it more than I did....WOW! only changed "my
sisters" to "Americans"
Stand up and get funky and loud now......YOU know you need this
too.....it will make you feel good.....Sing out now!
We are family
I got all Americans with me
We are family
Get up everybody and sing
We are family
I got all Americans with me
We are family
Get up everybody and sing
Everyone can see we're together
As we walk on by
And (Fly) and we fly just like birds of a feather
I won't tell no lie
(All) all of the people around us they say
Can they be that close
Just let me state for the record
We're giving love in a family dose
We are family
I got all Americans with me
We are family
Get up everybody and sing (sing it to me)
We are family
I got all Americans with me
We are family
Get up everybody and sing
Living life is fun and we've just begun
To get our share of the world's delights
(High) high hopes we have for the future
And our goal's in sight
(We) no we don't get depressed
Here's what we call our golden rule
Have faith in you and the things you do
You won't go wrong, oh-no
This is our family Jewel
We are family
I got all Americans with me
We are family
Get up everybody and sing