Rain Rain go away

As I sit here and watch the rain come down, I have to think about Canada. Oh, those happy little Canadians upstream that are probably thinking what a nice spring they are gonna have. Warm in front of their fireplaces, eager with anticipation. Down here in the Delta, we hope their spring holds off just a little longer, as the Mighty Mississippi is overburdened as it is, pushing tributaries backwards, and we are watching the waters rise, rise, rise.

In 1927, the worst flooding in American history started this same way- unseasonably wet winter for us, lots of snow melt in Canada. Build the levees higher, that was the verdict. Most of the levees built were breached, and the ones that held did little but hold water in- not keep it out.

Of course, we are so advanced and smart in now and have the Corps of Engineers looking out for us, and something like that could never happen again (remember New Orleans?)... And as papers talk of comprimised levees, and cresting points this weekend, it rains.

The one thing no one has mentioned is if it rains in Canada, our waters rise. If it rains in Kansas, our waters rise. The Mississippi drains half the U.S. if not more, and when it rains anywhere to the North, we end up with it.

How prophetic- Northern problems always wash downstream, leaving them with hope while forcing us into despair. Isn’t that how history usually goes?

So I sit here, and watch the rain.