The Delta

The Delta

Perched on the delta, we watch the currents,
as the raging river surges higher.
Rain pummels the ground, relentless torrents,
and the weather forecast is looking dire.

The sky turns black as the midnight hour,
as rooftops vanish, dragged through mud and rain.
Crashing thunder, the storm asserts power,
drowning out our cries of sorrow and pain.

The levees break, cities awash in grief,
Louisiana lost beneath the tide.
The flood spares no mercy and no relief,
in the eye of the storm, lives cast aside.

A silent vigil, hope is swept downstream…
The Mississippi shatters every dream.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2025
August 23, 2025

Hello and Happy Saturday! When I think of a raging river, the Mississippi River usually comes to mind. It’s such a huge river that is famous for many floods. And when I did a quick google search of disasters, Hurricane Katrina with its Mississippi river floods was high up there on the list of most devastating natural disasters.

We experienced Hurricane Katrina in 2005 while living in Florida.  Ft. Lauderdale took a direct hit by the hurricane, but fortunately it was only a Category 1 at first landfall. We had just installed high impact hurricane windows throughout our home in Plantation, Florida, and we watched as the storm descended around midnight. Never in my life have I seen lightning quite like that –  multi-colored daggers of light exploding across the sky in shades of pink, purple and light blue! It was scary, but mesmerizing. We were lucky, we only had minimal damage like some patio screens ripped out.

Then the hurricane crossed through the Everglades and out into the Gulf, where it churned and morphed into a monster Category 5 storm! And like millions, we watched the devastation it wrought throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. The death toll was over 1800 people, and the stories on the news were absolutely heartbreaking! This storm left New Orleans in floodwaters 10 to 20 feet deep, and had a lasting impact on that area. Even though we no longer live on the Florida coast, Dan and I both keep a close eye on the tropical storm developments, since we have loved ones on both the East and West coast of Florida. May everyone stay safe in the path of these storms!

Xoxo,
Colleen

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 8.17 – The Raging River
Hard Bonus: Incorporate a lyric from the rock group Bush (“In the eye of the storm”)
Easy Bonus: Mention the name of a famous river in the world (Mississippi River)