Hurricane Coverage: Storm Poetry surges across the Gulf
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Travel across any area that's about to get hit by, or has already suffered a blow from, a hurricane, and you'll find signs of an under-appreciated literary genre: Storm Poetry.
Usually spray-painted on a sheet of plywood or the wall of building in harm's way, Storm Poetry ranges from funny one-liners to almost Zen-like mantras.
Here's one spotted on Heights Boulevard in Houston, courtesy of Houston Press:
The former president born in Denison, Texas and foe of the military-industrial complex is getting the most attention he has in years. Here's another one: I DISLIKE IKE (sorry, can't link to pic).
The beauty of Storm Poetry is that it can always be re-purposed -- a useful feature given the frequency of storms in the Gulf Coast. Here's a shot I took during Hurricane Gustav last week in Covington, just north of New Orleans:
I saw this theme a couple times after Katrina -- this one is from Arabi, LA:
And another popular post-Katrina theme:
Sometimes the politics are subtle -- sometimes not:
Anyone out there have other good examples of this unsung literary form?
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Chris Kromm
Chris Kromm is executive director of the Institute for Southern Studies and publisher of the Institute's online magazine, Facing South.