By D. R. DiFrancesco

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They are only things,

Temporary and replaceable trinkets,

Their loss, of course stings,

But at the time you could not think it.

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They asked you to leave and not look back,

Refusing, you took your life in your hands,

While Sandy bore down on your homes and your shacks.

Threatening to bury you in water and sand.

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Stubborn you claim, “ I’ve been through this before”,

I made it once, I made twice, I can make it again,

But Sandy is not like any of those other girls they implore,

She’s reckless, she’s deadly, she’s a ten out of ten.

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You know better than they do,

She can’t take what is yours,

Until the trees fell and the waves grew,

You tried to batten your windows and doors.

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The winds whipped and the rains fell,

Now your house has gone dark,

There’s no one to call, there’s no one to tell,

A loud bang and the sky is lit up by a transformers spark.

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A tear falls and your heart begins to race,

Maybe Sandy isn’t like any of the other girls I knew,

I wasn’t afraid of Irene or Katrina I just laughed in their face,

I’m beginning to think that this one played me for the fool.

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You called for help, but your cries go unheeded,

They told you to get out, you just wouldn’t listen,

Left to ride out the storm ‘til the oceans receded,

Under stress you tremble and sweat begins to glisten.

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A horrible crash and the doors turn to splinter,

Windows explode shattered glass all around,

Nowhere to hide as the waves rush to enter,

Trapped with no chance to reach higher ground.

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You struggle to hang on not to drift out to sea,

As your walls crumble down like paper mache,

The surge sucks you out as you lunge for a tree,

Praying to God to live another day.

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Your tired and weak as your hold begins to slip,

Life flashes like a movie in your minds eye,

Kicking and straining not to lose your wet grip,

Hoping against hope that its not time to die.

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But your fate it was sealed in that moment of haste,

You had your chance given more than should have been needed,

The lose of your life such a sad and immoral waste,

All for disregard of a message that should have been heeded.

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We now mourn your loss as a tragedy unforgiving,

At the hands of a lady with the devil in her soul,

You could have been one to go on in life living,

Instead you’re another uptick in Sandy’s death toll.

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You’re a sad reminder of nature’s great strength,

To be feared and respected in all of it’s glory,

Awesome and powerful while held at arms length,

May your loss be our lesson in this tragic storm story.

Sadly, there are those that do not have an appropriate respect for the power of nature.  Too often these individuals refuse to heed the warnings given to them and the result is not just the loss of their personal property, but the loss of their lives.

I truly mourn those who perished as a result of Hurricane Sandy and hope that somehow those that lost their lives due to their blatant disregard of the warnings serve as a lesson to those who may contemplate similar actions in the future.

I honestly believe that there are no material possessions in this world worth sacrificing ones life for.   I hope and pray for a speedy recovery and return to normalcy for those who are suffering from the wrath of Sandy.  My heart goes out to you all.