Skies darken,

                    as billowy clouds 

                start to fill up the air.

           Whites give way to grays 

       then blacks with green mixed in.

The rains come in torrents, hail falls, and 

winds start to pick up seemingly out of nowhere.

The sirens sound and you know it’s for real.

             You pray the prayer of shame,

“Please not my city, not my street, not my house”.

        You hear the sound of a freight train 

                without any tracks near you.

Knowing what’s coming you enter your walk in closet and hunker down the best you can.

      You hear it come and then go abruptly.

Fortunately, it missed your house and neighborhood.

          Others, nearby, were not so lucky.

Losing all they’ve ever owned in 30 seconds.

-AAA 11/17/2024