The shadow of the Superdome stretches far

It is a shadow that cast light
It is a mirrored lens through which we see
the minority "rich" evacuated
the masses herded and abandoned
a city in crisis
a nation glued to the toob,
waiting for the raping and looting and gang anarchy

in hospitals
decisions were made
who should be saved

in bureacracies
decisions were made
who should be saved

the rest were left,
to feed off one another
like sharks

poor people came together
checked on their neighbors
organized rescue rafts
cooked big pots of stew
held body and soul together

poor people came together
"looted" food and water and maxi pads
brought them home to needy housefuls

poor people came together
marched to freedom
to be turned back at gunpoint
as suburban cops turned private security

none have been named heroes
(a sobriquet reserved for the youth we ship out
to be sent back in boxes,
absent cousins
of this same urban poor)

helicopter grabs, with much footage,
ended unmarked
in the shadow of the overpass
still no supplies
still no escape

now that busing has changed
the inner city demographic
will the diaspora
have right of return?

do the rest of us really believe
it could not happen here?