TOO MUCH RIVER (The Floods of "08)

Like a groupie of disaster
I rowed down the river.
It was big; it was mighty,
but I had water to deliver.
I travelled to a landing
and stared in disbelief
as some bailed in floods
with their homes underneath.
The stench of sitting sewage was constant in the air.
Mosquitoes flew to suck from any skin that was bare.
So, I handed a bottle to any person that was there.
Then the brown river took me on...

Yonder is a raft
with a woman who has cried.
There's a cellphone, a towel,
and dead infant just beside.
When the neighbors washed away
it shouldn't get any worse.
Then she couldn't reach the child
and a snake found him first.
The stench of sitting sewage was constant thru the day.
Too many mosquitoes to swat them all away.
So, I gave her a bottle and held hands to pray.
Soon the brown river drove me on...

Wish I had a desert
and an extra-large cup.
Wish I had a staff
to hold the waters up.
Wish I had faith
to walk right across.
Wish I had an ark
so none would be lost.
Wish I were a genius today.

A cross of red mercy
flies above a western bank;
an outpost with sandbags
and people to thank.
The courage of a country
is treading in the waves,
and everyone abandons fear
that some might be saved.
The stench of sitting sewage lingers in the air.
Far too many mosquitoes for a body to bear.
Still we stop to offer whatever we can share.
Until the brown river lets us alone.