entre falling rain

sudden shift of heat
sweltering sun thick atmosphere
contaminación que no me deje respirar
noticias malas muestran imágenes de los cuerpos entre las calles de Nueva Orleans what began as a drizzle
ayer hacía sol pero hoy de repente el llover empezó
what was a thin thread of rain became a torrent
dirty water rushing through streets visual thread to dirty bloated feet
el agua cayendo
missed my stop
pensando en my people my country my tragedy
swift rush of metro wind
soft sound of Silvio on my headphones
soothing my wild heart and drying the tracks of tears and stains of rain from my ravaged face
y el rostro of my rage
having left me stained and struggling to breathe
mientras cuerpos aíslados flotando en Nueva Orleans streets
walking home in the rain i take off my glasses too wet to do any good and continue blind
so far from my people
so far removed from the tragedy that is my government despite such wealth
its riches sent to secure oil on foriegn shores while our own supplies poison rapidly rising waters
and the soft spoken slow moving sweet drawling people of New Orleans
y no puedo creerla
poorer countries offering aid while nearly half of Louisianas National Gaurd swelters in Iraq and prisoners are airlifted from the path of destruction private property secured
leaving behind those who would or could not leave in time
my mind
mixing trips through the french quarter
Vic singing softly at night back by the bay of the boy she loved so desperately so hopelessly in that jazz soaked heat of oysters and beer and crawfish ettouffé
of an old woman in a market place waggin her finger and readin my mind
her grinning wild saying dont you do it girl
of the hot dusty streets where Mel first said she loved me
im so very sorry Nawlins
you took me in and welcomed me and offered me something cool to drink
you watered your plants on balconies as i strolled bare legged beneath
you laughed as i dipped my head beneath that stream of cool water
discúlpame Nueva Orleans
lo siento mucho que estoy lejos de ti en esta frío país en que no se puede entender your heat
your spice sweet swagger walk
rich blue skies soft slow southern drawl
lo siento tan mucho por criminal negligance on the part of a government that claims to represent me
for the poorest and the darkest left to sink or swim
for orders of shoot to kill
for prison industrial complex for oil guzzling war machine
for George W. Bush for unholy rage for retribution institutionalized greed blatant rascism private property
for not being there or anywhere near unable even to feel the common reaction of
mi pueblo a nuestra propia tragedía
perdóname Nueva Orleans
mi gente
mi país
buried beneath rising waters of contagion of greed
mirando yo imágenes de la gente rodeando por agua sucia
escuchando yo en otra idioma mi pueblo traducido
y no pude creerla
y no puedo creer
y los rasgos of my rage
y las lágrimas que lloro yo tan lejos de ti
entre falling rain