Poem by a Survivor

Found it in one of my old files.

It's from someone that lived through the Santa Fe flooding here in Argentina. Long story short, imagine Katrina with no gov. help whatsoever.


I was afraid of the dark,
Until nights turned long and without power.
I couldn’t handle cold weather easily,
Until I learned to survive in that state.
I was afraid of the dead,
Until I had to sleep in a commentary.

Even more, I was afraid of the reaper,
Until I had not option but to sleep in a crematorium.
I couldn’t stand people form Rosario or Buenos Aires,
Until they provided me with shelter and food.

I didn’t like Jews,
Until they gave medicine to my children.
I looked vane in my new pullover,
Until I gave it to a kid with hypothermia.
I chose carefully what I ate,
Until I was hungry.

I distrusted dark skinned people,
Until a strong arm pulled me out of the water.
I thought I had seen many things,
Until I saw my people roaming the streets with no where to go.
I hated my neighbors dog,
Until the night I heard him cry until he drowned.

I forgot about old the elderly,
Until I participated of eh rescue missions.
I didn’t know how to cook,
Until I found myself in front of a pot with rice and hungry kids.

I thought my house was more important than others,
Until they were all under water.
I was proud of my name and last name,
Until we all transformed into anonymous people.

I hardly listened to the radio,
Until I basically kept me alive.
I criticized loud students,
Until they reached out to help by the hundreds.

I was pretty sure of how my next few years where going to be,
But now I’m not so sure.
I lived in a community with a defined political class,
But now I hope that the water took them away.

I didn’t remember the names of other provinces,
But now I keep all of them in my heart.
I never had a good memory,
Maybe that’s why I don’t remember all of them,
But I still have the rest of my life to thank them all.

I didn’t know you,
Now you are my brother.
We had a river,
Now we are part of it.
Its dawn,
The sun is out and it’s not that cold.
Thank God.
We’ll start all over again.


Flood victim, Santa Fe, Argentina,
Mayo 2, 2003

http://www.mdp.edu.ar/exactas/geologia/aihlatinoamerica/la_inundacion_en_santa_fe.htm



FerFAL