The Noise After The Storm

“Don’t let any good tragedy go to waste
there is money to be made.”
These words heard over the din of large
dump trucks and the scramble of contractors

with chain saws and yellow tractors
moving in with a crew of brawny young men
ready to clear the damage and set the town
back to normal with brand new kitchens

and bathrooms, decisions need to be made
for sturdy designs, using better anchors
and wall siding to withstand the next tornado
including amenities to make it green

like water efficient faucets,
recycled glass for the counter tops
chipped wood with formulated glue ready
for builders before the month is through.

There will be extra cash for all those
college students, whose university is gone,
dental hygienists without dental offices
anyone who wants work can find opportunity

amid the destruction
new jobs are available until
everything is made right again
...better than before.

Architects and builders will have ample
occasions to be paid for their skills.
Vendors for hardware, lumber,
and plumbing appliances

will be pressed to provide
the number of requests
for materials required to remodel
this city flattened by mother nature.

Neighbors, who at first, were glad
their homes were left standing
will be jealous of the chance
to get everything new

after the tears, victims
will be delighted with the forced
modernization provided by the great
storm, like a fire in the forest

sometimes the flames are important
to burn down the old and give room
for the new in order to survive
for several more generations.