Published:  January 17th, 2010 21:46 EST
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Words for Haiti - Memories of 1995
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I can`t give you the words To tell you how it feels To stand at the foot of a pile of rubble Rubble that just a few minutes before Had been a building A building that contained People you worked with People you cared about I can`t give you the words to describe How it feels Not knowing Not knowing whether they are trapped Or dead There are no words to describe those Those who dug through pieces of concrete Sometimes with their bare hands To try and reach people They have never met There are no words For what you remember The smell of the air That even the rain can not wash away The tears of the families As they discover What they had feared And deep down Knew Still There are no words For a pain as deep As this I can`t give you the words That describe what happens In the next few hours The next few days The next few weeks Or even the next few years No I am a poet I have written so many things Laid out so many words on paper So much of my life I have placed before you But no I can`t give you the words To describe what those in Haiti are feeling right now Sometimes Words like these Can truly not be found In the end All that I am left to offer Are my prayers Ed Roberts 1/16/10 For many the words of this poem will speak in a way only they can understand I live in Oklahoma City 1995 is a year that will forever be burned into my memory For those in New York, they will speak of Sept. 11th For those in New Orleans, they will speak of Katrina As a poet I try to find words others can not find Sometimes in the end All I am left with are my tears and my prayers
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