They cleared the road The cars and trucks came Not a steady flow but a continual drip People came for water, To cross the island To check on family The intrepid before had walked, Clambering over every tangle Of fallen trees, but now They had cleared the road Unanswered texts left me worried Friends assured me of your survival They had cleared the road, Now surely you would come The back of the roofless building Offered a clear view of the road far below Once obscured by green forests The trees now stripped bare For hours I stared at the ribbon below, Stomach dropping at every white truck They had cleared the road, Of course, you would come That intense anger you held against me Must have dissipated in this storm All of us transformed It was my fault Your possessions were ruined, but It was just “stuff” wasn’t it? Weren’t you joining in the chorus “Thank God for life”? They cleared the road Hadn’t you forgiven me? Days passed The princess locked in her castle Waiting for her prince To rescue her on his White steed But this was no fairy tale There would be no happily ever after
they cleared the road...
After the Hurricane
