Challenge:In the Wake of Katrina

[BooMerengue]

On another note, I read a beautiful and almost impeccable poem by Boo recently, 'bout 'nawlins, and I hope she shares it with y'all.

I did, baby! It's further back on this thread. Thank you sooo much for such an indepth critique! The check's in the mail!

I understand how you feel, Charley. I don't know why you felt compelled to post it but I defend your right to do so. And I think I know what you mean by "Some Americans might not like it". I still can't get mad at Osama bin Laden, tho he was responsible for the death of 2 of my cousins, and some pretty close friends. But thats fodder for a Rainy Day discussion, not for here.

 

[Syndra Lynn]

My fellow poets,
Throughout history, poetry has often been used to catalogue crises of epic proportion, to lend a humanistic viewpoint to the tragic events which often befall us.
I propose such a challenge to you all. Lend your heart, thoughts and words and talents to help record the tragedy wreaked upon our brothers and sisters in the Gulf area.
Any form, any length, either epic or personal. Such tragedies as this deserve, no beg for remembrance in a means that touches all.

The deadline is September 11, no stranger to such cataclysm.
Post your responses on tne new poems thread.

Blessed be.

Hello fellow poets. Most of you are too far away for this post to affect, but some of you live in my area.

I work for Listen and Be Heard. They run a local coffee house called the Poetry Café where they offer an open mic every Thursday night and the best damn Arts and Entertainment news weekly in the world Listen & Be Heard
where I now write for a living.

This Thursday's open mic is a Hurricane Relief Party!

Listen & Be Heard & Be Generous!

All poems must be inspired by Katrina. We are recording the event live and will produce a CD and chapbook. 50% of the proceeds of all 3 go to Hurricane Relief. So, if you live in the California Bay Area, and have a Katrina Poem, come be a part of this effort to help.

Listen & Be Heard Poetry Café
818 Marin St.
Vallejo, CA 94590
(707) 554-4840

I would love to meet you!

Blessings to All

Syn

 

[SeattleRain]

Damn girl will you be wearin that dress? Hell I will fly there

Honestly I would love to meet you in baggy sweats. Jealous yes jealous of your job and I know you must be perfect for it!

you go girl!

SR

Hello fellow poets. Most of you are too far away for this post to affect, but some of you live in my area.

I work for Listen and Be Heard. They run a local coffee house called the Poetry Café where they offer an open mic every Thursday night and the best damn Arts and Entertainment news weekly in the world Listen & Be Heard
where I now write for a living.

This Thursday's open mic is a Hurricane Relief Party!

Listen & Be Heard & Be Generous!

All poems must be inspired by Katrina. We are recording the event live and will produce a CD and chapbook. 50% of the proceeds of all 3 go to Hurricane Relief. So, if you live in the California Bay Area, and have a Katrina Poem, come be a part of this effort to help.

Listen & Be Heard Poetry Café
818 Marin St.
Vallejo, CA 94590
(707) 554-4840

I would love to meet you!

Blessings to All

Syn

 

[Syndra Lynn]

Damn girl will you be wearin that dress? Hell I will fly there

Honestly I would love to meet you in baggy sweats. Jealous yes jealous of your job and I know you must be perfect for it!

you go girl!

SR

As a matter of fact, I did plan to wear the dress.

No no no. That dress is for my sex poem readings, not my disaster relief poem reading.

Thanks for your vote of confidence. I feel like the luckies goil in the world! Only draw back to working 6 days instead of the 4 I worked before is I have no time to play with my favorite poets.

Syn

 

[SeattleRain]

As a matter of fact, I did plan to wear the dress.

No no no. That dress is for my sex poem readings, not my disaster relief poem reading.

Thanks for your vote of confidence. I feel like the luckies goil in the world! Only draw back to working 6 days instead of the 4 I worked before is I have no time to play with my favorite poets.

Syn

ah I envy the Bay area.... I would not hear a word you said and have to make frequent trips to the bathroom, which I hope are soundproof.... or maybe my moans could be nice background sound effects for your work. Surely no one would be able to focus then!

I am on my way to a reading this afternoon, but not too too sexy, it is only my second time with this group, I have to kind of ease them into it a bit....

and no, I am not wearing those boots. I could kill myself on the stairs.

SR

 

[BooMerengue]

Hello fellow poets. Most of you are too far away for this post to affect, but some of you live in my area.

I work for Listen and Be Heard. They run a local coffee house called the Poetry Café where they offer an open mic every Thursday night and the best damn Arts and Entertainment news weekly in the world Listen & Be Heard
where I now write for a living.

This Thursday's open mic is a Hurricane Relief Party!

Listen & Be Heard & Be Generous!

All poems must be inspired by Katrina. We are recording the event live and will produce a CD and chapbook. 50% of the proceeds of all 3 go to Hurricane Relief. So, if you live in the California Bay Area, and have a Katrina Poem, come be a part of this effort to help.

Listen & Be Heard Poetry Café
818 Marin St.
Vallejo, CA 94590
(707) 554-4840

I would love to meet you!

Blessings to All

Syn

Hello, Synny! So good to see you!! Will you be staying with us? We truly miss you here!!!

If I were closer I would come; I'm going there instead. Thank you for caring, kid.

 

[Syndra Lynn]

Hello, Synny! So good to see you!! Will you be staying with us? We truly miss you here!!!

If I were closer I would come; I'm going there instead. Thank you for caring, kid.

HI BOO!!!


Waving Madly

I would love to stay! I have missed you too. But I work 6 days a week and home school my son. Time is precious. But I submitted 2 new poems this week, including my first illustrated one!

These are the fist poems I have written in many moons. Many, many!

I don't even have a poem to read about Katrina so I can be part of the cool CD and chapbook that my work is putting together!

But it feels good to be in these threads. Really good. I'll make the effort, if only to read the new poems and comment once a week.

Syn

 

[average gina]

I am not sure that a porn site is a place to deal with grief on threads, Angeline ... but I do understand.

The legitimacy of grief is asked almost constantly at funerals, so I am not sure what you mean by this? I could discuss losing everything, but I know you have lost much that hurts, so respectfully, I will not discuss the loss of everything.

I am empathtic to the poor. THE POOR who did not get out, and were left behind. I believe I have said that numerous times, just not on the poetry board, I guess. I am not adding to people's loss by refusing to take a stand in what I believe, and I could say much more but do not. I am articulating my opinion ... on an open SEX forum, a forum, need I remind you that is about writing and reading sex?

I respectfully read. I respectfully refuse to write about Katrina. If I respect your decision and reason to write, should you not respect my desicion and reason not to write?

Why am I catching flack for being honest?

I've held my tongue enough.

First of all, though the initial site is literotica.com, the sign on the boards says "Poetry Feedback & Discussion", which, leaving off any connotations of sex, opens the boards to talk about anything. Most of the poems I've posted have not an iota of sexual inuendo. The three that have been posted (one a collaboration, one with other people's lines due to a challenge, and one originally written) and could be presumed as erotic are subtle. In other words, we can coexist here beyond erotica. Part of the name of the site is "Lit."

I do agree with you that grieving is selfish, but without going into personal details, a soul that does not grieve is a soul that did not love. Death is a part of living, and acknowledgement of loss is a part of loss.

Perhaps we become numb about the every day tragedy of people's lives. I will admit that the tsunami did tug at my heart, but it did not directly affect me so I emoted minimally. I'm thinking you probably feel the same way about Katrina. That said, I think that your stance is pretty flippant. I have five people in my house that have had their lives irrevocably flipped upside down. They have only the clothes on their back, homeless and empty emotionally. I doubt if one of these people were standing in front of you that you would have such a snobby attitude. I'm tempted to let a couple of them read what you have said just to see their reaction.

I think I will.

 

[average gina]

I seriously, and no offence, but I do not understand why people post only things about tragedy when it happens in the US. Katrina is a crisis because people make it so. It is certainly no more a crisis than the thousands who die everyday in Africa? Or the tousands who just die every day normally. I will not participate.

In retrospect, I will not show them your opinion. this statement appears to be a devil's advocate kind of thing. You are just wanting to add salt to a wound. Your statement appears to be too much like "stirring the pot" for attention.

You had mine for a minute, but now I'm done. Your above statement was unnecessary. Don't post a poem. Thank you for not even attempting. We Americans appreciate your lack of participation in this challenge. I wrote a poem about it and have ideas on a second one, but they will not be seen here either.

 

[BooMerengue]

In retrospect, I will not show them your opinion. this statement appears to be a devil's advocate kind of thing. You are just wanting to add salt to a wound. Your statement appears to be too much like "stirring the pot" for attention.

You had mine for a minute, but now I'm done. Your above statement was unnecessary. Don't post a poem. Thank you for not even attempting. We Americans appreciate your lack of participation in this challenge. I wrote a poem about it and have ideas on a second one, but they will not be seen here either.

Gina?? Don't speak for me. I appreciate where Charley is coming from, and even if I didn't, I defend her right to voice her opinion.

Know what? I'm leaving for Gulfport Tuesday to open an emergency drop-in daycare. Know what else? No matter what I find I may need when I get there, I'll bet anything if Charley has it- I have it.

Back up, take a deep breath, and leave this alone. If you have to attack- do it in private.

 

[BooMerengue]

HI BOO!!!


Waving Madly

I would love to stay! I have missed you too. But I work 6 days a week and home school my son. Time is precious. But I submitted 2 new poems this week, including my first illustrated one!

These are the fist poems I have written in many moons. Many, many!

I don't even have a poem to read about Katrina so I can be part of the cool CD and chapbook that my work is putting together!

But it feels good to be in these threads. Really good. I'll make the effort, if only to read the new poems and comment once a week.

Syn

Grabbin your hand and dancing around wildly

wooohoooooooooo!!

Lets make a challenge for a full moon... a poetic ritual... whaddya think???

So good to see you dahlin'!!!

 

[Angeline]

Gina?? Don't speak for me. I appreciate where Charley is coming from, and even if I didn't, I defend her right to voice her opinion.

Know what? I'm leaving for Gulfport Tuesday to open an emergency drop-in daycare. Know what else? No matter what I find I may need when I get there, I'll bet anything if Charley has it- I have it.

Back up, take a deep breath, and leave this alone. If you have to attack- do it in private.

Good on you Boo! You'll be happy, albeit working hard. I'm proud of you and will keep you in my prayers,

And in a related note, I just heard from karmadog. He's ok!

 

[average gina]

Gina?? Don't speak for me. I appreciate where Charley is coming from, and even if I didn't, I defend her right to voice her opinion.

Know what? I'm leaving for Gulfport Tuesday to open an emergency drop-in daycare. Know what else? No matter what I find I may need when I get there, I'll bet anything if Charley has it- I have it.

Back up, take a deep breath, and leave this alone. If you have to attack- do it in private.

You sound like I said something wrong. I did not. If you read the first sentence of the paragraph, you would have seen that I did let it go. No need for you to tell me what to do after the fact.

I'm sure you will respond to this, but I truly am done with this discussion.

 

[BooMerengue]

If you had truly let it go, honey, you would have deleted it. You still can, you know.

 

[Liar]

And in a related note, I just heard from karmadog. He's ok!

Neat! Don't know him... where was he?

I just now heard from a friend of mine who I thoght was in California. He was in Biloxi during the storm, but in a sturdy brick house.

 

[Liar]

If you had truly let it go, honey, you would have deleted it. You still can, you know.

*shrug* I dunno. Letting it go, and wishing it was unsaid...is that the same thing? I hardly ever delete stuff, even if I regret saying it. It's like denying it was said.

 

[Angeline]

Neat! Don't know him... where was he?

I just now heard from a friend of mine who I thoght was in California. He was in Biloxi during the storm, but in a sturdy brick house.

In Gulfport. He was a regular on this forum when I came here--a great guy and good friend of mine, Lauren, Eve, smithpeter. Also a terrific writer. He left the site well over a year ago, but we keep in touch. I was uber worried for his safety.

 

[BooMerengue]

In Gulfport. He was a regular on this forum when I came here--a great guy and good friend of mine, Lauren, Eve, smithpeter. Also a terrific writer. He left the site well over a year ago, but we keep in touch. I was uber worried for his safety.

I'm glad to hear that Ange. I know you were worried.

Liar? Deleting doesn't really unsay something but in this case it's like washing a window; leaves the glass clean again, and the whole world doesn't have to see the dirt.

Good morning, everyone!!

 

[Brinnie Spears]

bump.

 

[BooMerengue]

bump.

Now why would Brinnie be bumping this thread? Not that I mind! It just doesn't seem her cup of tea...

mmm, Brinnie? You got a Katrina poem in ya? Lets have it. C'monnn...

 

[CharleyH]

I did, baby! It's further back on this thread. Thank you sooo much for such an indepth critique! The check's in the mail!

I understand how you feel, Charley. I don't know why you felt compelled to post it but I defend your right to do so. And I think I know what you mean by "Some Americans might not like it". I still can't get mad at Osama bin Laden, tho he was responsible for the death of 2 of my cousins, and some pretty close friends. But thats fodder for a Rainy Day discussion, not for here.

I dunno But I do , thanks, Boo

 

[CharleyH]

Now why would Brinnie be bumping this thread? Not that I mind! It just doesn't seem her cup of tea...

mmm, Brinnie? You got a Katrina poem in ya? Lets have it. C'monnn...

BRINNIE IS HERE?...

 

[twelveoone]

Now why would Brinnie be bumping this thread? Not that I mind! It just doesn't seem her cup of tea...

mmm, Brinnie? You got a Katrina poem in ya? Lets have it. C'monnn...

Probably because Brinnie
has heart and soul
and thought it was worthy

 

[SeattleRain]

and that was when he said
"girl, I could keep you on a dollar a day"


his hair blended in a spectrum of grey
with coarse white lining his temples
darkening into black in a monochromatic
crown, King of New Orleans

"plate of black beans and rice,
maybe some nice gravy."
He shakes the can of carrots
strategically balanced on the top step
of the neighbors stoop.
There in the direct sun
above waterlevel.

"folks kin live good poor down here
"We know how to take care of each other.
Community."
wipes the drying spit paste
from the corner of his split lips
and looks across the canal
to the deserted neighborhood islands.

"nah, I ain't goin' nowhere.
Where's to go? "
Besides he has food and water
and friends staying on,
he always soaks his bandaged
feet in peroxide
after walking down the waters.

 

[wildsweetone]

The Silenced Sax

Katrina roared
and a State collapsed.
Freed levy water buried the blues
and floated bloated bodies, face down

on a mat of toxic mud. A man
squats on his rooftop,
his home drowned

to the eaves. A mother lay
on a concrete step, quiet
and quite alone, her newborn snatched

by the rabid sea in shadowed days
and suckled on a stranger’s breast.
Hunger vied with haemorrhaging

to steal her life
as looters steal Twinkies
to survive.

And in the corner
sits a silent sax.