Flood
January 14, 2011
This week’s Big Tent Poetry prompt was to use alliteration to write a list of words, then choose one as the basis of your poem. I chose “F” words, because my home town of Brisbane was about to Flood, and when I saw footage of what happened just west of us in Toowoomba, I said another choice F word :)
The poem itself then grew around the “sssshhhh” sound I could hear as the rain started.
I wrote another poem on the floods for the POW prompt, which you can read here, you can view my photos of damage to my local area before and after the peak here and most importantly, donate to the Premier’s Disaster Relief Fund here. I live on a hill so we were okay, but people at the bottom of the hill weren’t so lucky.
January 15, 2011 at 12:29 am
I can’t imagine what y’all are going through. We had a couple of days heavy rain in May, and we’re still patting ourselves on the back for volunteerism and community spirit, etc.
You step to the side of it in this. Definitely one road show NOT to hold over.
take care
January 15, 2011 at 8:49 am
Thanks, b_y. The way our community has banded together has been nothing short of amazing. So many people are coming into our area to help clean up and give out supplies. Everyone is covered head to toe in mud :)
January 15, 2011 at 12:39 am
Your words and image serve to highlight only too well what a tragedy this is, F word? Indeed.
January 15, 2011 at 8:50 am
Thanks, RJ :)
January 15, 2011 at 1:03 am
I feel so sorry for all the displaced/ruined people this flood has created. It quite stops me complaining about the days of rain we have had here. Where is all that water coming from?
You have made a very good poem about a very bad situation.
January 15, 2011 at 8:54 am
I myself have stopped complaining about how much rent we pay, after being high enough to escape the floodwaters and being the last house before the river that didn’t lose power :)
The water came from heavy rains further west and releases from our dams, which were nearly at capacity. A lot of the flooding has been from drains backing up rather than the river itself. The amount of water that came through is scarcely comprehensible.
January 15, 2011 at 2:50 am
Joanne, you have described this horrible disaster very well.
January 15, 2011 at 8:54 am
Thanks, Pamela :)
January 15, 2011 at 8:26 am
I got lost in the blending of words and picture. Stark, haunting…
January 15, 2011 at 8:55 am
Thanks, Radio Nowhere :)
January 15, 2011 at 10:14 am
Wow, love how you use alliteration in this one!
January 15, 2011 at 10:16 am
Thanks, Twitches :)
January 15, 2011 at 11:45 am
Your words convey so much more than the newspaper—
A beautiful piece that made me hear the waters as well as see the toll. So sorry that you all are contending with this disaster.
January 15, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Thanks, Lnda :)
January 16, 2011 at 11:56 am
I feel for your community’s travails.
The poem is tremendous, starting with that sotto voce and moving through to destruction and disruption.
January 16, 2011 at 11:59 am
Thank you, Deb.
January 16, 2011 at 11:07 pm
Wow. Powerful piece, especially placed on the image like that. I love the idea of the rain applauding itself as if egging itself on, which is how it can seem. Glad to hear you’re okay.
January 17, 2011 at 8:40 am
Thanks, James :)