L'aura del Campo

Flood of '93 (poem) Jealousy?

Flood of '93

White frosted chocolate
mud flows like water
under the bridge
it visits Kansas City
dallies in Saint Louie
joins the Mississippi
voyage to the sea to see ...

but not today
today it tastes like
warm waste water
grass clippings
occasional dead cows
it carries off
what land cannot hold onto

white frosted waves
a chocolate milkyway

© Kåre Enga [164.96] 07-05-27

Written after buying a postcard for a friend that showed the brown roiling river from the bridge in downtown Lawrence, Kansas. The recent floods were like this too. Impressive rapids by the dam looked like the approach to Niagara Falls ... just the wrong color.

IMAGES:

On a wet afternoon: twig floating down the gutter; downpour splashing off the porch; the canvas chair holds a puddle.

Now drying streets and people's voices; bird chatter in the trees; drops hanging from the front porch rail.

MY THOUGHTS:

I responded in the blog of larryp: Oh ... I know about that jealousy bug ... gotta exterminate it immediately ... and every three days thereafter ...

One of the problems with the homeless community in Lawrence is the lack of self-esteem. There is a focus on what people can't do instead of what they can or "what can you do for me" rather than "what can you do for others". But ... supporting people rather than merely "helping" them would mean having to listen to their needs and that would take acknowledging individuals instead of just reacting to folks as a class of people.

Actually, these two things are related. Jealousy = a looking up. How Lawrence reacts to homelessness = a looking down. Perhaps "pity" would describe it. But neither pity nor jealousy evoke the greater virtue of love = an embrace.

Remember to exterminate the weeds.

0355