Day after day, night after night the news broadcasts tell us of all the devastation and beating that the Gulf States took from the record breaking "storm of the century", Hurricane Katrina. Each story touches us deep down in our souls, one more heartbreaking than the next. One grief stricken husband said he tried to hold onto his wife's hand, but the winds and the rising waters were too strong for him to compete with. She said to him "you can't hold me". "Take care of the children and our grand kids". And then she disappeared from sight............In the following story I quote from two songs (Blue Monday, and Walking to New Orleans) made famous by legendary rock & roll/blues singer and resident of New Orleans, Fats Domino.
"YOU CAN'T HOLD ME"
(In honor of someone's wife and all the other victims of Hurricane Katrina)
by
Barbara J. Galasso
Moss covered trees lined the streets of New Orleans. In a smoked filled cafe, you could swear you heard "Fat's" himself singing "Blue Monday....how I hate Blue Monday". Was it a hint of what was to come? The smell of jambalaya simmering in the big pots in the kitchen perforated the night air. Someone asked for another round of drinks and business went on as usual pretending that "SHE" wasn't blowing in from the sea.
Was it just Sunday night they warned of your catastrophic magnitude or did they sound the alarm days before and so few listened? Did they really know what you were capable of doing? Was anyone really prepared for your wrath?
The next day; ......."Monday morning I hang my head".........the lyrics from the song from last night seems to come back to haunt them as 145 mph howling winds, crushing waves, and torrent rains swallow the Mardi Gras city. Their neighboring states, Mississippi,Alabama, and Florida are not spared the wrath of Hurricane Katrina either. Homes are turned to sawdust, trees are danced about like tumbleweed and rivers of water now float by their house where Johnny used to ride his bike. With only their beloved dogs as company, some people sleep on the roof tops of what used to be called home.
National Guards, the Red Cross, FEMA and the FBI all show their faces to this once "party town" of Louisiana. Some say too late. Even the President and the First Lady nervously come to face the sorrow filled eyes of the mother's that hold their starving, lifeless babies. Some policemen turn in their badges, forgetting why they took an oath to serve the people, instead thinking perhaps, it was more important they save themselves. They say it'll take hundreds of billions of dollars and many years to restore this vacation paradise. Many decide they will not be returning to this place they once called home.
"You can't hold me" a woman tells her husband as she slips through his hands. Before the water claims her as its own, he hears her say, "take care of our children and our grand kids". She disappears into the darkness and he's left frantic and alone. You can't hold me..........and so Katrina took what she wanted...........no amount of levees held her back, no old houses that had stood against the hands of time, no modern buildings built by the most up to date engineering; nothing could stand up to the wrath of Katrina. An angry storm that was Mother Nature at it's most furious.
Some say they don't know what became of all the people and others say Heaven's doors were opened immediately. "She" stands before the golden gates and with determination in her walk, turns and walks the other way. All those who were awaiting entry turned in astonishment. But it wasn't long before a smile crept up in the corners of their mouth when they swear they heard her say........"You can't hold me". They stood there as if frozen in time as the pretty lady kicked up her heels and down the street she walked away singing.........."I'm leavin' here today, yes, I'm goin' back home to stay, yes, I'm walkin' to New Orleans'.........With a skip in her walk, and a chuckle in her voice, she whispers, "nope, you can't hold me".