My Journey: Katrina poem by: Nan Patton Ehrbright

This is a beautiful poem written on Aug.27th, author: Nan Patton Ehrbright, of Waveland, Ms. But now residing in Winter Haven, Florida. E-mail: Npebright@aol.com Her and her husband lost everything. They lived in Waveland for 24 years, and are elderly and just can't rebuild. I found the article in the SeaCoastEcho newspaper.
" Katrina left me alive, but took my life"
I breath, eat, sleep, and eliminate waste.
Sometimes I laugh-- sometimes I cry--
But Katrina took my life.
MY life, those things--yes, just "things"--
but things that made me uniquely me.
Among other things, Katrina stole:
a framed 55-year-old doily that my paternal grandmother crocheted while she taught
me that long-lost skill; my mother's pearls, a gift from my father; the numerous self-
typewritten essays my father wrote; a box of recipes from my mother, aunts,
cousins and friends, many hand scribbled; my daughter's baby pictures; the
misshapen ashtray my eldest daughter made for me in grade school; the black-and-
white ink drawing of a tree created by my middle daughter; the Brownie badges that
my youngest daughter earned; the Christmas ornaments from my childhood when
I always told Daddy I wanted a tree that went "all the way up to the wall"; the
beautifully written letters in brown or purple ink from the years-long
correspondence I had with my beloved 6th. grade teacher, who taught me the
beauty and joy of poetry and encouraged me to write, write,write; my husband's
love letters and birthday and anniversary cards; dozens of newspaper articles,
poems and short stories and three plays that I cherished--because I had written
them--me, only me.
Katrina left me alive, But on the bad days, I wonder; "Where am I?" "Who am I?"
since Katrina took my life.
Ah, if I could only smash her , as painfully as she smashed me!
She's gone, leaving behind rubble and ruins and hurting hearts.
But she didn't leave empty handed, Katrina took my life............................ "END"
No matter our race, gender, age, or where we lived, everybody feels the loss, hurt, anger, pain, the heart break, the sadness, emptyness, that Katrina took away
from us and left us with nothing but our nightmares, our losses, and our lives.........
And some didn't make it thru to know all these feelings...
................................. God Bless.............................................................