A vibration taps on my temple, like a drum against my skull,
sea salt fills my lungs through bloodied nostrils like straws.
I open my eyes to blurry debris deep beneath the surface,
street signs and buildings, bridges sinking as the storm worsens.
I flail my arms in a panic, my mind manic beyond control,
forget how to swim for a second as I question if I'm alive at all.
I pull myself above water level long enough to hear a child scream,
he's hanging onto a tree with one arm while the other flows down stream.
I swim to him as quick as I can but I barely manage to drift,
"it's going to be okay, I got you now, just relax here for a bit."
The child screams, never thought this would be me in my wildest dreams
Trying to calm him down while things move around in my surroundings
Climbing to find a way out, the wind pounding against my battered face
Shattered glass imbedded in my skin as i travel through its savage rains
This poor kid grabbing my waist, fist clench against my dragging legs
Through massive lakes displaying dead bodies & trash in passing waves
Chest deep splashing away, arms heavy and feel em growing weaker
Knowing if we don't escape Katrina’s wrath well die beneath the flowing ether
Ocean levels rising when the levies snapped in half, water going deeper
Teetering on death and floating in the current hoping i don't owe the reaper.
I begin feeling the fever, my vision becomes blurry,
trying to protect him while trapped in the ocean's fury.
My leg's wrapped up in powerlines and branches,
hope depleting while staring at the catastrophic damage.
I have to maintain the façade so the boy stays calm,
resting on the log, done trying to figure out what's going on.
My breathing slows, I'm getting cold but soon I'll be numb,
praying for dispatchers to arrive before I lose my lungs.
"If I die before you wake, I want you to remain brave..."
before I can continue I'm interrupted by a tidal wave...
The situations grave, life flashing before my eyes like a passing stage
As we’re dragged away, my composure fades into a state of rapid decay
Grasping to take air into my collapsing lungs and im asking to stay
Awake for just a few moments to make sure this child is finally saved
Made a break for the shoreline expending any amount of energy left
Swear to god ill bring him to safety even if meant sending me to death
And just then, I see paramedics forming a chain to reach us through the wind
I looked the child in his eyes explaining “its O.K., we finally made it friend”
Extended him into his final saviors arms as he was staring back at me
I was sucked beneath the undertow, knowing my death set that child free.
"A man is measured not by his strength, but by his desire to save others."