Megan Banks: Cyclone aftermath a time for reflection - and poetry

The Hits co-host Megan Banks kept the region informed during the days following Cyclone Gabrielle.

I hope you are all doing okay, Hawke’s Bay. So many people have suffered so much, and my heart goes out to you.

On the day of the cyclone, as a local radio show, we did our absolute best to keep the region informed with whatever information we had coming through. Communications were down, power was out, and the diesel generator that kept us on-air to broadcast critical information was quickly running out of fuel.

My mother-in-law was being traumatically rescued as floodwaters engulfed her property.

My husband, who works in the news field, was also out capturing footage and was missing for quite a few hours. The kids were in at work with me as we kept broadcasting all day. It was and still is an incredibly stressful time, and everyone’s recovery is different.

But always in the back of my mind were the thoughts of those that had lost family members. I knew I wanted to pay tribute to their family and friends for a little comfort. I’ve three lost members of my immediate family all very suddenly with no warning, and I know how hard that is. But to lose someone in such traumatic circumstances is a grief that’s hard for most to comprehend.

So when insomnia hit and stayed for a while, I wrote a poem called Eight Bright Stars as a tribute to those we lost in Hawke’s Bay.

Eight Bright Stars

“If you look up at the sky tonight

You might be lucky enough to see,

Eight of the brightest stars

Shining strong and proud and free.

Eight stars that Mother Nature

Swept up into her arms,

And whispered “Please don’t be afraid,

After the storm there is always the calm.”

She said “I know that leaving

Is too hard for you to bear,

But I’ll remind those that you love,

That you are always near.”

“You are a part of me now

As I have always been a part of you.

You’re the sunset basking over Te Mata Peak,

You’re the early morning dew.

You’re the wind that guides our sailboats

You’re our Hawke’s Bay blossom in spring,

You’re the deep ruby red of our syrah grapes

You are the joy in everything.”

So please, when you look up at the sky tonight

And shed your many tears,

Remember the love of those we lost

Will forever be right here.

They are forever part of history

They are forever part of Hawke’s bay.

They make Mother Nature more beautiful

And we’ll miss them every day.”