Fort Myers Florida 

Little white house 

Full of lovely memories

On a small canal only big enough for one boat at a time

The canal that takes us out to the Gulf of Mexico

Pleasant path to the front door

House on stilts ready for any storms to pass

Knowing storms will come

Memories of sitting out by the water 

Feeding ham to Gary the tall white bird 

Pelicans land waiting for fish to be cleaned

Always nearby

Memories of watching dad and great-grandpa wash the boat after a nice day of fishing 

Washing the boat so it didn’t rust from the salty ocean water

Memories of driving my grandma's golf cart 

To the pool 

To get ice cream 

To say hi to my grandma’s friends 

The snowbirds 

Ian had to come through and wreak it all

Take it all away

Leaving nothing in it’s path

Hearing about the possible hurricane on September 20th 

Great Grandma worried back in Minnesota

The hurricane suspected to hit land in fort Myers, Florida on September 23 

So the hurricane did 

Ian arrived and it was known

Evacuation was necessary

Hurrican Ian was there

Seeing pictures and videos of the destruction 

The streets I once walked on were sunken underwater - 12 feet deep

Land and homes gone

Restaurants I had eaten at demolished 

Only roofs and some tall signs are visible 

Knowing Grandma's house was underwater

But realizing what a blessing it was that Grandma was safe in Minnesota 

After the hurricane had past  

Great uncle went down to check on grandma's place 

He could see a line towards the top of her walls showing us where the water had been

The carpet, dirty and water sloshing with every step 

holding water like a sponge 

All because of Ian  

Water everywhere 

The house wasn't going to be liveable 

Knowing what was left will be removed

The wonderful home, gone

The laughs, smiles and memories live on

The house didn't win in the battle against the storm

Thinking about the damage

Thankful my grandma is safe