Tremors
i
Last week the ground cracked up
underneath our feet.
I haven't seen my little cat since.
ii
Tonight two pictures
and an ornament fell over.
On Facebook they said it was a 4.8.
That's about what we thought too.
iii
I'll shake you till your teeth rattle
my mother used to say.
Last week my teeth rattled,
and fell out on the floor.
My fridge door flew open
and gherkins, eggs, and beer
smashed onto the floor
mixing with sugar
that slid off the microwave
and the five crystal glasses,
three crystal bowls, and two
novelty teapots
that burst out of the china cabinet.
A sharp, bitter cake
combining on my kitchen floor.
A painted, plaster doll
my mother left to me, and the glass
from the front of her picture
lie like shattered teeth
on the lounge room carpet.
iv
Every night and every morning
when I put my lenses in
or take them out,
I remember my optometrist -
A dapper man in a grey suit
with silver hair and lively blue eyes.
He must have been helping out in that church
to have been there on a Tuesday at 12.51-
probably gave up his lunch hour.
v
Another sleepless, sweaty night
full of dreams of quakes
and waking to shakes,
till I'm no longer sure
whether I dream or wake.
vi
The EQC sent me a form
two weeks after I lodged my claim,
on which to list my damaged contents.
It has twelve lines. Lol.
The 'Advice to Claimant'
tells me I should keep or photograph
all of the damaged items I'm claiming for.
And I was so pleased
that at least the rubbish
had still been collected
the week after the earthquake.
Our bins were overflowing.
At least that's one service
that's up and running again,
I'd thought.
Last week the ground cracked up
underneath our feet.
I haven't seen my little cat since.
ii
Tonight two pictures
and an ornament fell over.
On Facebook they said it was a 4.8.
That's about what we thought too.
iii
I'll shake you till your teeth rattle
my mother used to say.
Last week my teeth rattled,
and fell out on the floor.
My fridge door flew open
and gherkins, eggs, and beer
smashed onto the floor
mixing with sugar
that slid off the microwave
and the five crystal glasses,
three crystal bowls, and two
novelty teapots
that burst out of the china cabinet.
A sharp, bitter cake
combining on my kitchen floor.
A painted, plaster doll
my mother left to me, and the glass
from the front of her picture
lie like shattered teeth
on the lounge room carpet.
iv
Every night and every morning
when I put my lenses in
or take them out,
I remember my optometrist -
A dapper man in a grey suit
with silver hair and lively blue eyes.
He must have been helping out in that church
to have been there on a Tuesday at 12.51-
probably gave up his lunch hour.
v
Another sleepless, sweaty night
full of dreams of quakes
and waking to shakes,
till I'm no longer sure
whether I dream or wake.
vi
The EQC sent me a form
two weeks after I lodged my claim,
on which to list my damaged contents.
It has twelve lines. Lol.
The 'Advice to Claimant'
tells me I should keep or photograph
all of the damaged items I'm claiming for.
And I was so pleased
that at least the rubbish
had still been collected
the week after the earthquake.
Our bins were overflowing.
At least that's one service
that's up and running again,
I'd thought.
posted by burning moon at 4:57 PM
4 Comments:
I am so sorry about your cat mate, I love cats, have a couple my own self , I hope it finds its way home to you soon
How is it going now? has the earth started to settle again?
The comments about your optometrist really bring it home :(
yus, my little cat returned night before last, but after eating and resting has disappeared again :(
Still, at least I know she's alive and well, not lying hurt somewhere.
Things are going well. Roads are recovering in record time. Lots of businesses are open again. Lots of businesses that were in the CBD have managed to relocate. All I have to do now is find a new job!
If you're on facebook you can add me as a friend and see the photos of my house after the quake, lol :D
Will the government provide some sort of relief funding to get you through the period without work?
There must be something in place for that I hope, you will need an income pretty quickly
Fingers crossed you get a job soon mate *smile*
I'm very lucky. For once my employer has done very well by his staff and had a good insurance policy which covers our wages in the meantime. So for the moment I'm fine. But I'm not sure how long that will continue for. The only communication I've had from work was one phone call to say I would be paid. I'm assuming they'll contact me again once they have some sort of definite decision on whether or not they'll rebuild.
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