Poet’s Corner: All Shook Up

All Shook Up

Bill Lowe, Sterling

 

Fifty years ago started out another normal day,

but at five thirty six pm Alaska entered disarray.

Suddenly even unbelievers begin to beg and pray.

 

For four minutes, fear and concern now flowed,

as the Good Friday quake commenced to unfold,

and the earth underneath appeared to implode.

 

From Kodiak Island, to Anchorage and around,

earth plates shifted while moving up and down,

as this mighty quake hit Prince William Sound.

 

Mother Nature, she’s powerful, make no mistake.

A hundred thirty one perished from this quake;

lives from California and Oregon she’d also take.

 

Aftershocks were many, the tsunami immense;

destruction gigantic, the pain severely intense.

Time had to heal what hadn’t yet made sense.

 

Multi-story buildings were reduced to debris;

roads resembled intense waves on the high sea,

but folks pulled together, just how it should be.

 

Strangers became friends, friends became kin.

A quake would destroy, new stories would begin,

and fifty years later is now how long it’s been.

 

That “nine point two quake” made quite a score;

a true Alaskan force not to underrate or ignore.

So are those who rode it out, back in sixty four.

 

More in Life

Boats gather offshore the Homer Spit in honor of the 2025 Blessing of the Fleet on Tuesday, May 20 at the Seafarer’s Memorial on the Homer Spit. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)
‘Blessing of the Fleet’ remembers, honors sacrifices of local mariners

Community members quietly gathered in somber reflection of lives lost to the sea over the past year.

tease
‘Share our gifts with the world’

Local artist creates vibrant body of work and renews her artistic journey.

Author Ruth Ozeki gives her keynote presentation at the 23rd annual Kachemak Bay Writers Conference on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Kachemak Bay Campus in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Literary citizenship and communities of one

Author Ruth Ozeki was the keynote presenter for the 23rd annual Kachemak Bay Writer’s Conference last weekend.

File
Minster’s Message: The high value of faithfulness

The quality of faithfulness in your life to God and Christian teachings has a quiet, steady reward that sooner or later.

This decadent pie is made with rich coconut milk and a pile of sweetened whipped cream. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
A send-off rich with love and coconut

Decadent coconut cream pie is made with rich coconut milk, a pile of sweetened whipped cream, and a whole lot of love.

U.S. Army Captain Edwin F. Glenn led an 1898 military exploration of Cook Inlet. Glenn and his crew, who were departing the inlet at about the same time that the Kings County Mining Company was arriving, left behind a journal of the expedition. That journal, archived in the Alaska Digital Archives, included daily notations about the weather.
Mary Penney and her 1898 Alaska adventure — Part 6

They cruised around a bit and then returned to Homer on Oct. 10 after “a most tranquil and pleasant passage.”

Virginia Walters (Courtesy photo)
Life in the Pedestrian Lane: Time flies

In years past, we would be hearing from friends Outside that they are on their way to Alaska.

These high-protein egg bites are filled with tomatoes, parsley and feta, but any omelet-appropriate toppings will do. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
A little care for the caretakers

These high-protein egg bites are perfect for getting a busy teacher through the witching hour in late afternoon.

Dr. Thomas F. Sweeney was a dentist seeking adventure and riches. He also had some mistaken ideas about the difficulties that life in remote Alaska entailed. (Public photo from ancestry.com)
Mary Penney and her 1898 Alaska Adventure — Part 5

The three-masted ship called the Agate was a reliable 30-year ocean veteran when it entered Cook Inlet in mid-October 1898.

Most Read