Book

Smith, Patricia, 1955-

Blood dazzler : poems / Patricia Smith.

Minneapolis : Coffee House Press, ©2008.

©2008

viii, 77 pages ; 23 cm

In minute-by-minute detail, Patricia Smith tracks Hurricane Katrina as it transforms into a full-blown mistress of destruction. From August 23, 2005, the day Tropical Depression Twelve developed, through August 28 when it became a Category Five storm with its "scarlet glare fixed on the trembling crescent," to the heartbreaking aftermath, these poems evoke the horror that unfolded in New Orleans as America watched it on television. Assuming the voices of flailing politicians, the dying, their survivors, and the voice of the hurricane itself, Smith follows the woefully inadequate relief effort and stands witness to families held captive on rooftops and in the Superdome. She gives voice to the thirty-four nursing home residents who drowned in St. Bernard Parish and recalls the day after their deaths when George W. Bush accompanied country singer Mark Willis on guitar: The cowboy grins through the terrible din, *** And in the Ninth, a choking woman wails Look like this country done left us for dead. An unforgettable reminder that poetry can still be "news that stays news," Blood Dazzler is a necessary step toward national healing.

Hurricane Katrina, 2005 -- Poetry.

New Orleans (La.) -- Poetry.

Poetry.

National Book Award finalist, 2008.

Prologue: And Then She Owns You -- 5 p.m., Tuesday, August 23, 2005 -- 11 a.m., Wednesday, August 24, 2005 -- 5 p.m., Thursday, August 25, 2005 -- 7 p.m., Thursday, August 25, 2005 -- Why New Orleans Is -- Man on the TV Say -- Only Everything I Own -- Voodoo I: Love and Passion -- Won't Be but a Minute -- 8 a.m., Sunday, August 28, 2005 -- Inconvenient -- Company's Coming -- Dawn of Luther B's Best Day -- Ghazal -- 10:30 a.m., Sunday, August 28, 2005 -- She Sees What It Sees -- What Was the First Sound -- Luther B Rides Out the Storm -- Gettin' His Twang On -- Up on the Roof -- Voodoo II: Money -- What to Tweak -- Michael Brown -- M'Dear Thinks on Luther B -- Katrina -- Voodoo III: Gambling and Lucky Lotto -- Don't Drink the Water -- Loot -- President Flies Over -- Voodoo IV: Power and Domination -- Tankas -- Superdome -- Dream Lover -- Voodoo V: Enemy Be Gone -- Ms. Thang Sloshes in the Direction of Home -- Ethel's Sestina -- Didn't Need No Music, Neither -- Thankful -- 34 -- Their Savior Was Me -- Voodoo VI: Healing -- Looking for Bodies -- Voodoo VII: Develop Psychic Powers -- Buried -- Back Home -- Remembering to Sing -- What Betsy Has to Say -- Luther B Ascends -- Rebuilding -- Golden Rule Days -- Give Me My Name -- Siblings -- Katrina -- Voodoo VIII: Spiritual Cleansing and Blessing.

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