Storm
many changes took place today
not the least of which was being
home alone during a tornado
warning. I was afraid. my family
split like a tree trunk, spread out
across the city, minutes or hours
away. I took the dogs to the
basement, long-lasting candles
a flashlight, a book, a laptop
a journal, a pen. the power
stayed on. the storm bruised
over us. one crack of thunder
brought my stomach to my
throat. then it was over. didn’t
even open my journal to write
nor read a page of the book.
and look… here are the long
arms of the sun reaching into
the kitchen, ray-ing on the
floor toward me. here is the
sharp demand of the bluejay.
here is the mother still alive
changed like the tilt of the
rain-pounded grass. no
one can tell but the grass.
and the poem.
VANESSA SHIELDS 