After two weeks of constant rain
the water rushes through downstairs
reaching almost to the ceiling,
but at least it seems to have peaked.
With everything we could salvage moved upstairs
we’ve decided to block off the stairwell
with a door and a cupboard lying on it’s back.
The smell of the sewage mixed in the flood
along with the animal carcases
and occasional floating human body
has become too much to bear.
It will be okay once they come to rescue us soon
because we will be moving to live on the Moon.

After three days of being shut in our shrinking refuge
with the continuing torrent still not easing
our store of drinking water is beginning to dwindle,
we had anticipated a wait but not for this long.
The house now moves and sways often
especially after floating cars and tree trunks scrape against it.
The helicopters have stopped flying overhead
and the emergency broadcasts are now only static,
probably its only the moisture in our radio.
Once they come to rescue us we will be okay
because we will be moving to live on the Moon,
we hope it will be soon.

After five days we think this will be our last,
our drinking water and food is completely gone.
The rain has started again causing the flood to rise,
it is now gushing through the closed stairwell.
The whole house is bending and creaking loudly,
it will collapse shortly sending us into the torrent.
We still hope they will rescue us so we will be okay
moving to live on the Moon,
but it will have to be very soon.

**

Rob McKinnon lives in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. His poetry has been published in Meanjin Quarterly, under the same moon: Fourth Australian Haiku Anthology, Forty South Publishing, Wales Haiku Journal, and other online and print journals. He has been nominated for Best of the Net and Touchstone Individual Poem Awards.

P76 issue 9: Poetries of place/ displacement/ diaspora/ odyssey: On-line Edition. Table of Contents