We Will Rise

From the waters of Gulf the storm came raging up the coast
It tore the roofs from houses, toppled beams and posts
Dozens died as wind and rain razed town after town
So much brought to ruin, so many left to drown

Children torn from mothers' arms
Homes washed into the sea
Cars and trucks tossed like toys
Sights no one should ever see
Just hours before who would have thought
Such devastation could ever be
But then came a stranger, reaching

Take my hand, she said, together we will rise
We will help the living, we'll soothe our children's cries
Together, as one people, with strength beyond our size
Hand in hand, together, we will rise

Santa Ana winds fanned the flames
Drought and record heat prepared the pyre
Thousands of home now the fuel, brittle chapperal fed the fire
A hundred thousand fled the blaze
As fire fighters risked life and limb
So much brought to ruin, so much at an end

Houses turned to ashes, schools and churches burned
Cars and trucks reduced to molten frames
Just days before who would have thought
Such destruction would take its turn
But even then, a stranger reaching

Two million people homeless, their houses bombed to waste
Trapped within a man-made cage, terrorized and effaced
Their crime, in sum, that they exist here,
Refuse to leave their land
So much brought to ruin, too much to stand

Children torn from mothers' arms
Whole families killed outright
Drones and tanks, one ton bombs
No end of it in sight
And now a plan to force them out
To complete pogram's bitter twist
Still, and always, a stranger reaching

Here and now the present danger as tyranny storms ashore
Our cherished values crushed, ground into dust
Those who've served us trashed, abused
The poorest abandoned at our door
So much brought to ruin, so much fear, distrust

Children torn from mothers' arms
Billions cut that help the poor
Trillions given to the wealthy
The destruction of the rule of law
"I am the law", the tyrant blusters
His foot upon our necks
But even now, a stranger reaches