Written during a blackout.

The following poem was written on May 8, 1986 when I was living in Oklahoma. That evening there was a tornado near my neighborhood, the first and only time I had an encounter with one. I never saw it but I definitely felt its presence. Needless to say, it was a very frightening evening.

WRITTEN DURING A BLACKOUT

“The tornado is on 15th and Santa Fe
And moving northeast.”
My family stared at the TV
In complete alertness
The wind outside became rough
A little
Dad told me to go outside and pack the hose up
When I went outside
The tornado alarm was screaming
And a bright flick of light flashed
And a loud clap of thunder roared
Yet I said hi to a neighbor
Inside
I retrieved my turtle from upstairs
And held him tightly
My dad said to put him back
When I was going upstairs
The lights went out
And my mom got some candles
In a while, my family got together
Listening to the rain go pip pip pip pip BOOM
With the candles burning in fear