Blood Dazzler

Poems

Paperback, 77 pages

English language

Published Sept. 1, 2008 by Coffee House Press.

ISBN:
978-1-56689-218-6
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
870895543

View on OpenLibrary

No rating (0 reviews)

In minute-by-minute detail, Patricia Smith tracks Hurricane Katrina as it transforms into a full-blown mistress of destruction. From August 23, 2005, the day Tropical Depression Twelve developed, through August 28 when it became a Category Five storm with its “scarlet glare fixed on the trembling crescent,” to the heartbreaking aftermath, these poems evoke the horror that unfolded in New Orleans as America watched it on television.

Assuming the voices of flailing politicians, the dying, their survivors, and the voice of the hurricane itself, Smith follows the woefully inadequate relief effort and stands witness to families held captive on rooftops and in the Superdome. She gives voice to the thirty-four nursing home residents who drowned in St. Bernard Parish and recalls the day after their deaths when George W. Bush accompanied country singer Mark Willis on guitar:

The cowboy grins through the terrible din, And in the Ninth, a choking woman …

1 edition

Subjects

  • Hurricane Katrina, 2005 -- Poetry
  • New Orleans (La.) -- Poetry

Lists