Letter
Victoria Williams

I met a young man who had been evacuated from New Orleans while I was working at Reunion Arena as a mental health volunteer for the Dallas Red Cross. He had spent time at the Super Dome in New Orleans before riding a bus, with others who had lost everything, to Dallas. He hadn't been able to locate all of his family since the hurricane and appeared worried and restless. We each drank several cups of coffee while we walked around and around the arena talking.

The young man pulled a piece of tattered paper from his pocket, and asked me if I wanted to hear a poem he'd written during the storm. I told him it should be published because it described exactly how he felt. We found someone working in the computer area to help us type and print the poem. He already had a title in mind.

R.I.P. Hurricane Katrina

It was a storm that rose just at the mouth of Florida and Mississippi states.
It was a storm that you never thought would come your way.
During that time, it was not on anyone's mind.
Everyone continued their moments and their beautiful days.
While at the mouth, Hurricane Katrina was building big waves.
For millions of people and viewers, we all thought it would fade.
Katrina held so much water in a short period of time as the clock wound and continued.
Katrina dropped water of ten feet on Miami Beach.
There it was a "To be continued...."
Now that you know about part one,
Do you want to know about what happened next?
It was life or death, a wait 'till your last breath.

While we were still holding our breath,
Hurricane Katrina continued to blow back.
The same man who helped us understand what was coming to our land, by the name of Brett.
He was the best meteorologist in the storm center.
Even Brett was scared, furious and even serious.
Mainly of all, something that God would have never thought.
Brett was feared for the state.
Brett had tears that took away his faith.
It was the voice that no one had ever heard.
From him, "Evacuation".

Victoria Williams
Counselor, The Academy at West Birdville
Haltorn, Texas

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