Troublesome Memories of a Traumatic Night

Daniel Ritchie

 

The tumultuous tide

Started with a call

A ring in the night A catastrophic fall

Awake and alert

But subdued still yet

Though waters were climbing

Tried not to fret

A bang from below

Signaled something amiss

Twisted metal barrier

Troublesome has never been like this

Pressure abounding

Franticness high

Scrambled for answers

Dawn yet to be nigh

An expedition to safety

Emerged as the plan

No ship to board to save us

As water consumed the land

Navigating obstacles

Waters chest high

Discovered a small old boat

To try for land that was dry

The barricade arose

Into Troublesome Creek

As a family forged

Without oars, only feet

To fight against the current

To make a break and flee

Horns blaring, waters rushing

Hanging by a thread

Will morning bring life

Or will it bring death

And then it’s all over

But the smell of mud remains

Wooden structures splintered 

Cement blocks stained

But here come the helpers

To do what they can to bring some kind of relief   to this new world of sand.

Daniel Ritchie has lived in Knott County his entire life. He attended Alice Lloyd College from 2010 to 2014 and earned a Bachelor’s degree in History. He also tutored in math during the Hindman Settlement School Summer program from 2010 to 2014. He was impacted by the flood of 2022 as he and his family tried for an escape from their home during those early morning hours. “Troublesome Memories of a Traumatic Night” conveys vague and jumbled senses of what lingers in his mind about that experience in present day.