Lenoir resident shares poem she wrote about western NC and Helene entitled “Prayer for Western North Cackalacky”
LENOIR, NC (October 8, 2024) ⇒ Lenoir resident Laura Sedlacek shares poem she wrote about western NC and Helene.
Prayer for Western North Cackalacky by LB Sedlacek
Chimney Rock.
Gone.
(Last of the Mohicans)
Lake Lure.
Gone.
(Dirty Dancing)
Marshall, Black Mountain, Weaverville, Leicester, Swanannoa, Little Switzerland, Spruce Pine, Asheville, and so many more.
The winds.
The rain.
The rivers.
The lakes.
WATER!
Helene you came and went.
You devastated.
You decimated.
No power, no phones, no internet,
NO water.
NO WATER!
The water overflowing
rivers cresting.
We band together
in the face
of devastation.
Neighbor helping neighbor.
Supplies trucked in.
Meals horse backed in.
Gas scare, food too.
Forget prescriptions.
We band together
sharing information
listening to the radio
while checking on strangers
and loved ones alike.
We will survive
like the long leaf pine,
the cotton bloom,
the scuppernong,
soft southern moss,
rhododendrons,
the cardinal, and
the dogwood tree.
We are the Land of the Sky
soaring above Mt. Mitchell.
We are true friends and
warm hearts.
We are the Tarheel state.
And we are
North Cackalacky strong!
