Hurricane Heroes

After Hurricane Katrina smashed the gulf coast, 
       life and time as we knew it froze
Then, struggling against enormous odds, 
       valiant nurses and doctors stayed in the hospitals

Thousands of seriously ill people needed emergency medical attention
Nurses and doctors struggled without the basics: food, water, medicine
After days of the plumbing not working, the hospitals began to smell;
And swarms of displaced residents outside of the hospital also needed help

In New Orleans, flood waters and looters rose to dangerous heights
Days dragged on for the nurses and doctors, but worse were the nights
Looters became shooters, and the medical staff feared for their patients
They wondered when they would be rescued--none of this made any sense--

Utter chaos was exacerbated when the backup generators began to fail
Powerless machines meant certain death to the weak, to the frail
What else can go wrong? many of them thought and some of them said
As the nurses and doctors gave up food so that the patients would be fed

Finally, the National Guard made some supply runs and saved the patients first
The nurses and doctors were exhausted beyond any and all expectations:
They made it through the worst. 

--bro. tim pickl
Thursday November 2, 2006 A.D.

also see:  http://www.faithwriters.com/wc-article-level1-previous.php?id=12024

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dedicated to my hurricane survivor friends:  Tom & Rachelle, and Dave & Barb.