DEVASTATION AND RECUPERATION

DEVASTATION AND RECUPERATION

I sat on my pony, just at sundown,
the scene that I saw, sure made me frown,
the clouds were just boiling, for the upcoming storm,
would be the worst disaster that ever was born,
then rain kept a falling ever so hard,
soon all was covered even the yard,
the creeks were all rising, flooding the plains,
it looked like nothing would stop the rains,
higher and higher the waters they rose,
nothing could stop it until it froze,
it rained for a week, then it rained for two,
everyone wondered when the rain would be through,
way up on the mountain, I looked down below,
trying to figure where all that water could go,
the buildings were gone that had once been a town,
what the water didn't get, the hard winds blew down,
then all of a sudden out peeked the sun,
and shut down the storm that had a long since begun,
still the waters kept rising, its own level to seek,
the floods stayed with us late into next week
slower than snails, the water receded,
some very hot weather was just what we needed,
the sun kept shining, there high in the sky,
drying the waters that kept flowing right by,
it took over a month for the flood to be through,
gone were the buildings, of the town that we knew,
no more stores, gas stations, restaurants or bars,
not a thing was left out there under the stars,
all that had lived here has long since been gone,
there is nothing left, no cattle, no coyotes, not even a fawn,
now back on that pony I am sitting once more,
when I saw them coming, new settlers by the score,
some would be tailors, store keepers and such,
they seemed to have things but not overly much,
new buildings sprang up, seemed right from the ground,
when they were done building, they had a new town,
it was like no flood had been there, in many years,
where once had been heartaches and eyes filled with tears,
I still go riding to my favorite spot,
to see what is there, not to see what is not.

written by Harry Bryant
1/6/05 10:03:12 AM ©
all rights reserved