f/k/a archives . . . real opinions & real haiku

Haiku is rarely about politics or anger (on the surface at least). Neither is its cousin senryu, which focuses on human nature. Usually, that’s fine with me, but today it leaves me frustrated, as I put together this pre-holiday weblog posting. (“Death and Lawlessness Grip New Orleans,” NYT, Sept. 2, 2005)

 

Like Prof. Althouse, I try to be evenhanded, even when looking at people whose politics are far different from my own. Of course, evacuation and rescue could not have been performed in a day. But, I must say that those who want us to believe that this Administration simply has a public relations problem with the Katrina Aftermath — that the President simply hasn’t found the right words yet — are cutting Mr. Bush far too much slack.

 

Unfortunately, I believe that the President’s response to Katrina shows all to well both his willingness to mistake his intended outcomes for reality and his tendency to use wishful thinking and rosy scenarios instead of the truth when speaking to the American people. More important, I believe the lack of sufficient planning to deal with unevacuated New Orleans residents who happen to be very poor and also black shows an inability to empathize with their plight (in normal times or times of crisis). (See NYT, “A Can’t-Do-Government,” by Paul Krugman, Sept. 2, 2005).

 

• by dagosan (a work in progress):

waving from rooftops –
another party
in the French Quarter?

convention center —
potty parity
in New Orleans

two days
after the hurricane –
tears for strangers

treading water:
“keep your chin up”
the President says

[Sept. 2, 2005]

 

 

I wish a safe and pleasant Labor Day weekend to all of f/k/a’s friends and visitors — but I hope that Katrina Fatigue won’t put its victims out of the minds of the lucky ones who only know the aftermath from tv or the internet. Everything should look at little different this year.

 update (Feb. 17, 2006): See our post “one haijin’s return to New Orleans: David Lanoue”

 

year of the rooster
the wind chimes swivel
soundlessly

 

 

 

winter morning —
the outline of the city
on Venetian blinds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

summer’s end–
a hitchhiker stands beside
his tall thin shadow

           

a fan blows in
the street’s scent
summer rain           

behind in the count
“Skip” spits and stares
harder

 

 

 

Barry George

“year of the rooster” – The Heron’s Nest (Sept. 2005)

“winter morningt” – The Heron’s Nest (June 2005)

“summer’s end” – Haiku Spirit

“a fan blows in” – Tiny Words (Aug. 12, 2002)

“behind in the count” – bottle rockets #11