I have for many years now for at least half the time I'm in the shower, thought how lucky I am to have hot or cold water at my fingertips. Until I moved to Arizona, it was always hot water I cherished.
The past nine days of seeing all that dirty water in New Orleans doing no one any good, has only reinforced that idea and I finally put it down in writing.
I tried to "rap" this in a Debbie Harry type "Rapture" rap, but more spoken. That will be on the upcoming BC Radio Podcast.
HOT WATER
I pull the curtain
So I can hide
I feel certain
Once inside
Under the shower head
Hot water steams
My skin turns red
And brings day dreams
I'm the luckiest damned
Person on this planet
I turn the tap
Get my climate
Too hot? Too hot?
I can turn it cold
Too cold? Too cold?
I can twist it bold
Water drops hit
Flow down my limbs
The splash sounds off
My anger dims
Here I stand in the shower
Hour after hour
after hour
after hour
No need to complain
I have the power
I know people
With no lights
With no food
They get in fights
I know people
High on the drug
Life hits hard
They just shrug
I'm in a desert
I feel fine
Yet in Nairobi and Sahara
People are dyin'
People are dyin'
I see people
poor and black
poor and black
See white brothers
Think they'll never make it back
Never make it back
Here I stand in the shower
Hour after hour
after hour
after hour
No need to complain
I have the power
I'm the luckiest damned
Person here on Earth
I have my water
I have mirth
This inside rain
Crashes through my brain
Water drains
Eases my pains
Soothing, cooling
Feeling great
Running, cleansing
Dark dirt and hate
I have hot water
Article comments
1 - Aaman
Nice, but a cold shower can be more refreshing and illuminating:)
2 - Temple Stark
A cold shower messes with the metaphor of comfort.
And they are VERY short.
3 - PodPoet
This is an awesome poem. I would like to feature it at my Web site http://hellicane.com -- poems written by, for and about the vistims of Hurricane Katrina. May I have your permission to do so?
PodPoet
San Diego, CA
4 - steve
get out of the shower and start helping people! actions speak louder than words..LoL...
5 - Temple Stark
Yes. Thanks. And thank you for asking permission. We've been having some problems with that around here.
- Temple
6 - Shark
"planet" -- "climate" --?
Ugh.
Temple, you just gave up the right to criticize ANYTHING Shark has ever written.
Thanks.
7 - Shark
HOT TELEVSION NEWS
I zap the "Off" button
So I can hide;
I feel like a mutton
fried inside.
Under the images
flowing like turds
my mind goes numb
from the flood of words.
I feel kinda lucky
since I pulled the plug;
the death and destruction:
a hard-to-kick drug.
Too much? Too many?
They starve on the roof.
Prepared for Al Queda?
We now have the proof.
Water breaks levees
and covers the town;
The talking heads gather
to tape as they drown.
They stand in the shit piles
Hour after hour --
after hour --
after hour...
No one to complain to,
and none seems in power.
How FEMA left people
With no lights - no food;
and Lord of The Flies
is in a bad mood.
I know people
Who would die for a drug,
Diabetic survivors
pushed under the rug.
It's an amoral desert
but consumers feel fine
'cause in marketing meetings
they are planning prime-time.
One can see people
poor and black
but where is the help?
Hey, they're still in Iraq.
We can't turn off the shit
there's three more years;
who voted for assholes
based on their fears?
No need to complain
hour by hour;
just watch the TV
since you have no power.
You're the luckiest damned people
at the top of the curve.
And you have the government
that you deserve.
This shit-flood rain
Crashes my brain
Water drains
vicarious pains...
Scary, crazy
to keep you in fear
"The Christians will cleanse you!"
"It can't happen here!"
A newsflash breaking;
American's "sin" --
We're asleep in a nightmare
and This Just In...
8 - DrPat
Michael Jackson gets Weird Al Yankovic for satire... while you have to settle for Shark, Temple!
9 - Aaman
Did you pick the Wodehouse deliberately, or just because of the name?
10 - PodPoet
Loved this one too, though getting a little too heavy on expletives for my site. But I'd like to consider putting it, along with your first one, on http://hellicane.blogspot.com
May I if I decide to?
Thanks.
11 - Sophie
Omg I Wish I Could Write Poems Like Dat