Frank Prem gives voice to the common man, the one so often forgotten after great tragedies disappear from the news cycle. This is a poem about what comes after the fire.
he said
well
I thought
I had enough
insurance
I’d covered the place
for more
than the cost
and I thought
for sure
that would be enough
but
it seems as though
it is never
quite as much
as you first thought
and
it seems as though
the costs
are always
more
the bank claimed
first
to get money back
for the mortgage
then
well
they change re-building rules
you know
just
to make things better […]
loss (of everything) and sleep — Frank Prem Poetry
January 13th, 2020 at 8:43 am
This one hits home. The fallout just in terms of PTSD is/will be, incalculable. 😦
LikeLike
January 13th, 2020 at 12:17 pm
Yes. And the volunteer fire fighters will be the ones most affected once the adrenaline stops flowing. I shudder to think what they’ve seen and /heard/, day after day after day…
My firefighting system was designed by a professional hydrologist who also happened to be in the CFA in Kinglake [one of the worst affected communities during Black Saturday, 2009]. He saved his own house and his neighbour’s house, but afterwards…he dropped a huge amount of weight and, the mental anguish… He was smart enough to seek help but how many of these volunteers have the money to spend on mental health when they’ve lost their own houses/businesses/livelihoods?
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 13th, 2020 at 7:50 am
So heartbreaking. It just makes everything so much worse. Thanks for sharing Frank’s poem, Andrea.
LikeLike
January 13th, 2020 at 8:19 am
I’m not normally a poetry person, but Frank has the ability to say so much with just a few, humble words. So glad those words touched you too. -hugs-
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 12th, 2020 at 11:50 am
Thanks so much for the re-blog, Andrea.
There is not much room to draw breath between the sundry different aspects of such disasters.
It feels like a failure to find myself writing so much about this (again). Not sure which failure I’m feeling most.
LikeLike
January 12th, 2020 at 11:55 am
There is no failure, Frank! You’ve got your finger on the pulse of Australia right now. The news cycle is already moving on, back to politics and the perception of things. Voices like yours are needed now more than ever. So we do not forget.
LikeLiked by 2 people
January 12th, 2020 at 12:01 pm
It’s a callous and shallow world, ain’t it?
LikeLike
January 12th, 2020 at 1:48 pm
Always.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 12th, 2020 at 12:16 pm
Now that we have rain, the unaffected will take a deep breath and more on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 12th, 2020 at 12:34 pm
Not for long, Andrea. This thing has a long way to run and I don’t think anyone will be left untouched.
LikeLike
January 12th, 2020 at 1:41 pm
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 12th, 2020 at 1:01 pm
Oops, sorry WW, I replied to your post, but misdirected my answer. What I meant to say to you was:
Not for long. This thing has a long way to run and I don’t think anyone will be left untouched.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 12th, 2020 at 1:48 pm
I’m dithering between you and Frank. On the one hand, these fires could still be causing massive destruction well into March and April, so if the media continues to cover it, people won’t forget. On the other hand, past experience of the media suggests they’ll quickly move on to the next ‘sensational’ thing and coverage of the fires will become an after thought. If /that/ happens, yes those who’ve been able to continue their lives will shrug and move on.
My big hope is that too many city folk have been directly affected for the fires to be forgotten. All those holiday makers who had to be evacuated by the ADF. All the little resort towns left deserted, all the small communities destroyed. First hand witnesses won’t forget.
And maybe it’s up to /us/ to stop the comfortable amnesia from setting in. 😦
LikeLiked by 2 people
January 12th, 2020 at 2:47 pm
Yes, it’s too easy to forget, but right now you guys have the world’s attention. One billion animals; it’s mind-boggling. And the connection to climate change has been made. People can say “You think climate change isn’t real? Look at Australia.”
LikeLiked by 2 people
January 12th, 2020 at 10:11 pm
Yeah, most of us are feeling like the canary in the coal mine. The most awful part though is that these bloody fires are affecting global weather in a bad way as well. I just hope that something good comes of this. Sadly our own govt is hopeless, absolutely, completely, idiotically hopeless.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 13th, 2020 at 7:05 am
😖
LikeLike
January 12th, 2020 at 10:33 am
Sad story, aptly told… Well done, Frank Prem.
LikeLiked by 2 people
January 12th, 2020 at 11:51 am
Thank you, Bette. More horror and heartbreak than I can possibly capture, I suspect.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 12th, 2020 at 11:56 am
-hugs-
LikeLiked by 2 people