Flood of 2008
these were
the lucky ones
sump pumps
running non-stop
pumping sledge and muddy water
in a race
to salvage washers and dryers
water heaters and furnaces
the personal infrastructure
we can no longer live without
detours
inconveniences
and farther down the river
levees breeched
as water fulfills its destiny
and seeks its own path
uprooting, smashing
lifting houses off foundations
like an angry child
playing at demolition
the scale is frightening
whole worlds
carried to the bridge
in a flotsam jetsam eddy
of despair
there’s no
fixing this
the news
flashes
the hopeless pictures
we all take a moment
and imagine ourselves as victims
maybe write a check
or donate supplies
pat ourselves on the back
for helping Iowans
without a federal task force
telling us what to do
but two weeks
later
our part of the water has receded
and neighborhoods are filled with the sound
of weed eaters and blowers
as we tame our lawns
and thank
god it wasn’t us
