Why Do People Live in Louisiana?

[tigriswolf]

So, I finally broke down and sobbed while driving down the highway, bringing lunch and ice to the crew cleaning out my aunt's house: aunt, 2 cousins, lilsis, brother-in-law, and assorted friends of my cousins. I pulled off the highway, cried until the tears stopped, and got back on the road.

Then, tears still in my throat, I ranted into my phone's memo app because I am so fucking tired of and angry about the comments I've seen on articles about this, the tweets, the tumblr posts.

I can't figure out how to upload that audio file, and I wanted to. If you want that file, give me your email because I really love it.

But here's the poem it became:



Why Do People Live in Louisiana?
Written: August 17, 2016


I keep seeing all these comments about people asking:
“Why does anyone live in Louisiana,
and Mississippi, and Alabama, and Florida,
where there’s hurricanes and there’s floods?
Why does anyone stay,
why do they keep coming back?”

Why do people live in the blast range of a volcano?

Why do people live where the earth will
literally fucking shake beneath their feet and
open up and swallow them?

California’s on fucking fire—
why does anybody live anywhere that can catch on fire?

Why do people live in fucking Tornado Alley?

Why do people live anywhere?

Weather happens, you shitheads.
Weather happens.
Usually there’s warning and this time there fucking wasn’t.

Why do people live here?
Because it’s home, you dickheads.

Comments

[caffienekitty]

People are blind idiots. Most of them also live in places someone has said "why would you live there?" about, and has likely defended the place they live as well, and yet they still, STILL, will not accept anyone else standing their homeground and defending their community as valid or commendable. It's sheer solipsism, and it's ugliest when it's directed at people who are hurting.

Home is home is home, no matter whose it is or what problems it might be prone to. Good on you for standing up for your place in the world. *hug* :-)

[tigriswolf]

Thank you!