when rogue nations
     lie
to themselves
they become lost inside
the stories they tell;
they reject their own history even when
circumstances compel them
to hear see or feel it.

when the storm vision of those
who are the descendents of slaves
     contradicts
the popular spin of those
who are descended from slave masters,
there can be no surprise
opposing
perspectives pale
in the face of objective proof.

lost nations can
      only
find themselves
when they are forced
to face
their own truth.

           Katrina