POETRY
The Second Ark

By Knowledge

The Superdome is where thousands went to hide
Inside the Superdome one man leaped from an upper ramp in an act of suicide
Inside the dome the air reeked of urine, feces and sweat
Along the Gulf Coast, 1.5 million people
were having to make do without food, water, electricity
or access to a functioning toilet

One man driven to despair in the dome committed suicide
“People are trying to keep things clean but it’s getting worse and worse”
said one man who moved outside

They arrived in the thousands and the Superdome protected those within
A two year old girl could be seen sleeping in a pool of urine
Throughout the arena the mood was one of gloom
Blood stained the walls next to vending machines smashed by teenagers
and crack vials littered the restroom

One woman was given a half-full bottle of formula as she cradled her three-week old baby
One mother was given two diapers and told to scrape them off when they got dirty
The air conditioning failed immediately causing the dome to be filled by a swampy heat
One man said that he had nothing to live for and jumped fifty feet

Two people including a child were raped, the perpetrators should have been jailed
An emergency generator kept some lights on but quickly failed
The Superdome stadium was where thousands of people decided to go
When the water supply went out Wednesday
the toilets became inoperable and began to overflow

A man coughed up blood and his shoulders quaked
as he was wheeled through the halls
One man who arrived at the Superdome on Monday
said that there was feces all over the place including on the walls

The Superdome filled by a swampy heat
To escape the urine some had wrapped plastic bags on their feet
The adjoining New Orleans arena was used for the elderly
the critically ill and those suffering from dehydration
A professional violinist’s playing pierced the desperation

He hadn’t taken it out until Wednesday, he’d been guarding it carefully
When the adagio ended, a National Guard soldier applauded quietly
For the violinist this was a form of release
He nodded his head to the soldier and began another piece

September 2, 2005.

Knowledge rhymes the latest current events. He is known as England’s first documented rapper (Black Echoes Magazine, January 1980) and is a featured poet on the ‘Axis of Justice’ concert album (2004).
E-mail him at TheMasterRapper@yahoo.com

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