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Tom Cunningham - Premium Member

Notes About The Poem

In the 1930s; severe drought conditions and a lack of experience by people from the east who had migrated to the Great plains of America to take up farming, resulted in a disaster which became known as the Dust Bowl. the main causes were inexperience and drought .

Natura deep rooted grasses which held the soil in place were dug out and ordinary seed planted then a drought came and dried the soil out making it brittle and the strong winds on the plains took the top soil away forming giant dust clouds.

The dust clouds even blew east and one winter in New England red snow fell due to the dust in the atmosphere.Many people died including livestock.

Had the dry farming method been followed it may have never have happened on such a large scale

The severe conditions lasted about eight years.

Dust Bowl Anthology

a mass migration  
heading west to farm the land ~
inexperienced 

in the arid soil
ordinary crops planted  ~
dry farming ignored

drought and poor farming
topsoil blowing in the wind ~
dust bowl created  
 
deep rooted plains grass
taken out and wheat planted ~
devastation looms 

across the great plains 
a dusty black flag unfurled ~
the days become nights  

in all the plains homes  
dust blowing in through fine cracks ~
powdery cover  

the deadly dust clouds
respiratory problems ~
cause of many deaths 

clouds of fine red dust
settles all over the plains ~
a crimson carpet 

new england winter
fine dust in the atmosphere ~
causes red snowfall  

kansas city news
edward stanley editor  ~
coined the term dust bowl

Copyright © Tom Cunningham | Year Posted 2018

farmnatural disastersnaturehaiku

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April 2, 2023 at 5:30 AM

It is a horrible situation ! Dust and soot invariably cause breathing problems and health hazards. Your haiku powerfully delineates the horror of the situation.

April 2, 2023 at 6:38 AM

Thank you very much Valsa, you can only work with nature not against it, many were ignorant how to farm and that's what caused the devastation, thankfully they learnt from their mistakes. Tom

Panagiota Romios

July 1, 2020 at 5:10 PM

Another show of your poetic way of explaining history. It's pure magic to me, Thank you, winner! Panagiota xx

July 1, 2020 at 5:21 PM

Thank you Panagiota, I love history and putting it into verse. Tom

February 20, 2020 at 3:21 AM

Tom congrats on your win!;)

February 20, 2020 at 5:29 AM

Thank you Brenda, I hope you're well. Tom

Timothy Mcguire

July 27, 2018 at 8:00 AM

My parents were raised in the 20s & 30s. I heard about the dust bowl. Your piece brought them to mind. Thank you for that. I heard just the other day they are predicting another on in the near future.

July 27, 2018 at 9:53 AM

They were hard times indeed Timothy, the trouble with man is he uses up resources until there's nothing left not giving things a chance to recover and animals hunt them until they're extinct. Mankind is foolish without a doubt. Tom

May 13, 2018 at 9:16 PM

Publish this in the history books, someone, please! What an innovative, masterful way to make significant history/environmental history come alive---a history which so many students snooze through. Kudos to you, Tom! ~ gershon

May 13, 2018 at 10:22 PM

Thank you very much Gershon, I'm glad that you liked it. It was such a sad time for all involved and took years to recover. Tom

May 12, 2018 at 4:04 PM

what a tragic story told in haiku form - have never heard of the red snow before Tom.Hugs Jan xx

May 13, 2018 at 1:00 AM

Thank you Jan, it must have been a spectacular sight to see.Early one morning I got up for work and we'd had rain in the night but strong winds from the Sahara had blown dust which had got mixed up with the rain and there was a fine coating of red dust, thankfully not as bad as the dust bowl. Tom.

Caren Krutsinger

May 11, 2018 at 12:22 PM

Ten glorious succinct haikus that explain the story of the hard 1930's in the dustbowl as well as could be told. Nice.

May 11, 2018 at 12:34 PM

Thank you very much Caren, yes they were hard times indeed. Tom

May 10, 2018 at 7:49 PM

I can only imagine what those farming families went through; this awesome write is a reminder of how mother nature can cause such havoc in our fragile lives!~Che :)

May 10, 2018 at 9:58 PM

Thanks Cheryl, you're right, mother nature takes no prisoners, it was mainly drought and inexperience that caused the disaster. Tom.

May 10, 2018 at 5:00 PM

I remember reading about this in school and maybe my father talking about it. Those times were hard on many people. Some lost everything in those severe conditions. Enjoyed reading your work. Thanks for the visit to my page. Sara

May 10, 2018 at 9:56 PM

Thanks Sara, It was the time if the great depression, as if things weren't bad enough.Yes, folk lost everything, Really we have nothing to complain about today. Tom

May 10, 2018 at 3:48 PM

Never heard the part about the red snow! Great historic haiku, Tom!

May 10, 2018 at 4:34 PM

Thanks Kim, yes red snow fell in New England in the winter of 1934/1935. The dust even reached ships in the Atlantic. Tom

Anne-Lise Andresen

May 10, 2018 at 12:35 PM

- A great story told in haiku form, excellent Tom - A time that will never be forgotten - hugs // Anne-Lise :)

May 10, 2018 at 1:25 PM

Thank you very much Sunshine, it was a tragic story, mistakes were made and hopefully.they have learnt from them,You can grow crops in arid lands but you have to use the dry farm method. Tom.

May 10, 2018 at 8:54 AM

Wow, this is interesting Tom. I had never heard of the red snow falling. Well done :)

May 10, 2018 at 9:32 AM

Thanks Heidi, it must have been an awesome sight, sometimes we have rain and there is sometimes a reddish colour in it from.the Sahara here in the UK. Tom

May 10, 2018 at 7:51 AM

A wonderful and historic herd of haikus, Tom, Being raise in a farming community, i sympathise with the plight you write of here.

May 10, 2018 at 8:22 AM

Thank you Harry, it must be one of the worst tragedies to hit the settlers on the plains, such a tragic story it is. Tom.

Demetrios Trifiatis

May 10, 2018 at 5:41 AM

A monument of human ignorance that condemned land and people to slow death! Educational Haikus poetically expressing a sad truth dear, Tom! Another, POTD perhaps!

May 10, 2018 at 6:00 AM

Thanks Demetrios I've never blown my own trumpet if they want me at the grooms table let them speak haha. It was a tragic time indeed, you have to work with nature not against it that's for sure. Tom.

Charles Messina

May 9, 2018 at 3:45 PM

you have a great hand Tom, very well done haiku! You taught me some knowledge as well...and I'm from the U.S. (lol) Stay well my friend!

May 9, 2018 at 4:03 PM

Thank you very much Charles, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Tom.

Richard Lamoureux

May 9, 2018 at 1:09 PM

Very educational Tom. It was a difficult time in history.

May 9, 2018 at 4:02 PM

Thank you Richard, yes it certainly was if only dry farming methods' had been used it could have been a different story. Tom.

May 9, 2018 at 12:28 PM

Enjoyed reading,Tom, the haikus are great and the old nostalgic photos are just wonderful . If, this is for a contest Good luck .. Thank you for reading my write on the Roosevelt Elk they are just beautiful and fascinating to watch. Hugs Eve

May 9, 2018 at 1:02 PM

Thank you very much Eve, it was Woody Guthrie's song that gave me the inspiration to do it.I had known about it years ago, when I heard the song I researched it, fascinating but a tragic story.How those people suffered you cant imagine.Thanks but it's not for a contest. You're lucky to see those elk in the wild. Tom.

May 9, 2018 at 9:13 AM

How interesting Tom and told in such beautiful form, I really enjoyed this !!!

May 9, 2018 at 10:22 AM

Thank you Mike, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Tom

Andrea Dietrich

May 9, 2018 at 8:43 AM

I never knew it was called red snowfall. It would have been so horrible to be part of that. I recall the movie Grapes of Wrath . I think this is the reason they moved west. Can you imagine how hard it must have been on these people? We have it very lucky today.

May 9, 2018 at 10:19 AM

Thanks Andrea, it was only in New England that the snowfall was red due to the dust in the atmosphere. It was also known as the black blizzard's, the great dust storm and of course the dust bowl.It was of course the great depression at that time too, your right Andrea we are so lucky today.The grapes of wrath , excellent film. Tom.

Ravi Sathasivam

May 9, 2018 at 6:14 AM

Excellent. Well penned. Thanks for sharing it.

May 9, 2018 at 6:34 AM

Your welcome Ravi, thank you. Tom.

May 9, 2018 at 6:03 AM

Great history lesson Tom with great pics and appropriate music. I do remember reading something about this in passing and now you've written it in a string of Haiku in masterful fashion...Maria hugs :)

May 9, 2018 at 6:09 AM

Thank you Maria, its a fascinating story but such a tragic one, mankind can never take on mother nature and win.The removal of natural grass, strong winds and drought was a lethal combination. Tom

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