Overwhelmed. Swamped by a deluge
of cascading abundance.
Engulfed; swallowed by a huge
and raging expanse
of turmoil. A torrent unleashed.
Swollen by a backwash; pressing
itself into spaces diminished
of capacity. Structures stressing,
crushed beyond identity. Ripped,
flipped – agitated – broken debris.
Strewn remains; a carcass stripped
of shape … and what might be.
. Sodden and soaked – saturated.
. Clogged and choked – inundated.

© Tim Grace, 16 January 2011

To the reader: When enraged, the elements devour what lays before them; fire consumes and water engulfs. Flood victims are utterly inundated. The rising intrusion is unstoppable. The creeping thief, enters without welcome, invades every crevice; leaves behind a crime-scene of muddied mayhem. The forlorn victim, sodden and soaked, has no recompense; can expect no apology; the thief has come and gone… more than escaped, evaporated!

To the poet: In this sonnet it was pleasing to arrive at a wash of words that flowed with singular effect. The flood of words were delivered through the media, describing the devastation of a summer flood in Queensland, Australia. Capturing the graphic vocabulary of an event is important in constructing a descriptive poem. Words, with particular nuances, speak through a sonnet. Words locate a poem as real. Words give the poet a licence to authentically narrate the scene; albeit from a distance.

inundated