Tornado
I thought I’d be up forever, but only stuck
in the calm before the storm, the violent winds
of this tornado speeding like Romeo and Juliet’s
short four day hastened love story. Then
just like the rich heirs of Capulet and Montague,
unforeseen tragedy struck, and freedom was forbid.
Being buried in debris, two feet under
not six. Trapped under beams and torn
carpet, things too heavy for my weak
muscles to lift;things I cannot see
slowly crushing the air from my lungs,
any blood still circulating coming from
the cavities of my newly bruised and broken
face. A child crying, a puppy whimpering,
an elderly praying, and sirens fading; I hear
them, I feel them, I can’t see them. Life
is escaping, and my heart is dying, and
my brain is accepting the end. I’ve been lost
in the tornado, in time the dirt will have
piled on top of my body and I will not be found,
like a soldier gone missing in action.
And like a head-shot soldier... Pow, I’m dead.
The gates that forbid freedom, now open,
I take small steps in and weep in joy as
gentle white wings unfurl from my back, lifting me
up and flying me through Verona’s happy town.
Just for me to hear, I say “I am free”.
(2013)
I wrote this after a family member died in a tornado. I couldn't post it for my family to see, because I was scared that it would have bothered my aunt, who had lost her closest sister. However, it strikes a cord with me, and it is now one of the few works to which I hold a great amount of pride in. Please tell me what you think.
