Forgotten Reality

The family gathered to celebrate the new baby A home filled with love, past memories and joy Smells from the kitchen perforate the room Children and laughter, barking dogs, purring cats Aunty Flo’s paintings proudly decorate the walls Grannies old rocking chair in pride of place The new couch and chairs bought on time, admired by all Familiar objects overflowing, a house filled with love A front yard carefully tendered flowers in tidy beds Large back yard, old mango tree, gums and weathered swing The twins playing happily by the river bed near bye People, cats, dogs, chickens and ducks all in harmony A picture of content, hard work and mortgage paid The sun as usual, blistering heat, on a perfect Aussie day Then blessed rain, falling softly on the old tin roof Rain, rain, rain, at last such a blessed relief After so many months of intense heat and dry dusty days Rain, rain, thunderstorms and more rain Days of rain, rain non stop, rain never ceasing. Rivers rising, water flowing every- where, rain, rain Sand bags and trenches dug, trying to stop the inevitable Rising rivers, warnings given, sudden evacuation necessary Escape now the only answer, children gathered Babies crying not understanding the agony around Roads blocked, bridges down, cars and belongings floating bye Life to be saved survival all that matters now Neighbours helping neighbours, pregnant women giving birth People clinging to rooftops, cars and trees, volunteers risking lives Shelter given, food, blankets, coffee and cups of tea Arms outstretched to devastated people trying to find hope The country coming together doing all it can to help Day’s later families returning to destroyed hopes and dreams Mud, stench, debris and brown murky water, nothing to be saved No couch, swing or rocking chair, pictures all destroyed Back yard gone, trees destroyed nothing but sludge and stench Such a heart breaking human toll of such unprecedented scale Lives, homes and livings lost in a tsunami like destruction Australia, Australia our land of drought and floods!