A Poem about Flood Damage

I wrote a series of poems a few years back when the Chehalis River in Washington state flooded and blocked Interstate 5 for days. In reading and watching news stories about the flooding in Colorado, I've thought a lot about the people there and the damage to the landscape and roadways. We drove to Boulder last year when I went to Colorado with Trish to visit her family, and it's amazing to see how Boulder Creek has become such a raging body of water.

Tonight as I was thinking of this current flooding, I remembered the poems I wrote about the Chehalis. Here's one that borrows found text from a map of road closures.

Closures and Restrictions

Trees down. Sinkhole.
Broken levee. Debris in road.
Rising water. Mudslide.
Several lanes washed out.

Watch for mud and overflow
from ditches. One lane.
Local traffic only. Deep water
marked with cones. Rough

but passable. Bridge intact.
Highway clear. Heavy traffic.
Open to all cars. Open
to trucks with perishable loads.

Comments

Anonymous said…

I like the imagery in this poem created by the piecing together of the map signs. I recently posted on my blog about getting caught in a arroyo when I was a child. You can read that at http://abbiescorner.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/beethoven-and-me/.

September 18, 2013 at 2:37 PM

Amanda Laughtland said…

Thanks for your comment, Abbie. I enjoyed your post, and I also wanted to comment on your recent post about your relationship with your late husband. For some reason, I am having a technical issue being able to log in and comment on your blog. I hope things are well with you! :)

September 18, 2013 at 3:30 PM

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