The Storm's Aftermath

The storm struck
With all its fury
A week or two before,
Leaving in its wake
Wooden embattlements
Piled five feet high
Fronting the ocean,
And stretching in either direction
As far as the eye could see.
Twisted and knotted
Relics of trees
That once grew
Far back in the hills,
Logs stripped of bark,
Jetsam from the passing storm,
Litter the coast.
The sand had been washed away
Leaving only cobbles
On what used to be a beach.
Pieces of plywood,
Timbers large and small,
And entire trees are deposited
Helter-skelter
Along the shore.
Twisted shapes,
Wooden pieces
Sanded and carved
By the elements
Are being sorted and collected
By swarms of people
Working their way
Through the debris.
Reeds and bamboo
Are strewn about,
A large piece of piling,
Probably from the local pier,
And old tires
Complement the mess.
Rattlesnakes and rats
Reportedly populate the trash,
Having been washed
Out of the surrounding hills
Along with the rest of the litter.
Later the wood
Will be collected and burnt
In giant bonfires
On the beach,
A fiery tribute
To the power
Of the storm.