Poetry Friday--Blood Dazzler

Yesterday I mentioned a few of the Hurricane Katrina items we have in our collection, but there's one title that I held back mentioning until today. It's a book of poems by Patricia Smith called Blood Dazzler [811.54 SMI].

Poet Mark Doty, in a blurb on the back cover says,

This riveting sequence gives voice to a wild raw whirlwind that ruined a city and brought on, in turn, a storm of neglect and murderous indifference. With her radiant powers of empathy, her fiercely acute ear for the musical possibilities of American speech, and her undiluted rage, Patricia Smith makes in Katrina's wake a sorrowful, unflinching, and glorious book.

I can't add anything to Doty's statement, other than, you should read this book!

The book is set up chronologically, from the prologue about the timeless New Orlean's grasp on its citizens, through the days leading up to Katrina's strike, to her landfall, and on to the worst part of the storm--her aftermath. It's affective reading, but worth doing, if only to remind us how easy it has been for us to forget.

I want to share this short poem, titled simply, "Katrina."

Weather is nothing until it reaches skin,
freezes dust, spits its little swords.
Kept to oceans, feeding only on salted water,
I was a rudderless woman in full tantrum,
throwing my body against worlds I wanted.
I never saw harm in lending that ache.
All I ever wanted to be
was a wet, gorgeous mistake,
a reason to crave shelter.

This week the Poetry Friday Round-Up is being hosted by Kate Coombs at Book Aunt.