Chased mercilessly
over well- worn tar
palpable loss pushes
a sable brush
dunked in dread
a furious deluge
of fear
oozes out
blackens every inch
of familiar landscape
what if’s
eat through
the still static blue horizon
making a meal
of unborn dreams
slaked only by
hastily grabbed
history
coupled with
ragged spirits
that desperately
haul hope north
safe haven
on strange soil
still dark hours
away
Hot on the heals of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans , August of 2005 was Hurricane Rita barreling our way when my daughter and I lived in the Houston area . It veered off and spared our home at the last minute and went off towards the Texas /Louisiana line , but fear guided our every action as we evacuated we saw our home and our lives hanging in the balance .The horrific devastation coming across our tv screens and computers from one state over chased us into the safety of the Round Rock near Austin area after driving in bumper to bumper traffic for over 9 hours up north. Normally that trip would be only around 3 hours, but as the population of Houston and it's surrounding areas headed to safety, nerves were tight and cell phones went out .