Afterword: This was written for a writing class with the prompt being to emulate a piece by David Wojahn. Using an omniscient third person narrator in the present tense, lyrical poetry and some imagery, I tried to convey the range of emotions in the immediate aftermath of the derecho, the equivalent of a Category 3 or 4 hurricane, that hit Cedar Rapids, Iowa in August of 2020, the “costliest thunderstorm event in U.S. History.” The storm damaged more than 65% of the city’s tree canopy and was on par with the destruction left behind by Hurricane Katrina (pictures from my neighborhood included below). The storm received minimal news coverage, acknowledgement or assistance nationally.
Video of Clean-Up (these trucks made rounds for months and the next Spring)
(and we all wish the city would plan another round of pick up three years later given damaged trees and hangers that have since fell)
Readings:
Kristine Joy, Writer 
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