Tornado!
The fury
of a storm-
and the aftermath
the destruction
and debris-
those haphazard heaps
and the realization
that everything's gone-
all that mattered,
had value...
there's nothing left
to salvage-
not objects.
( though thankfully
you're left with your
life...)
And then you look closer
you walk gingerly
midst scraps and scatterings
bend down,
recognize the photograph of a
happy couple
frame bent, glass shattered,
and you see
the neighbor girl's
mud- splattered
doll,
suspended on a branch
and in front of you
a shoe,
heels;
( they were your
favorite-)
now the other pair's
gone.
And you stumble among
ruined furniture
broken, upended
chairs,
tables
where once families
sat, shared
and ate...
And there's a brand-new
sofa
soaked
upholstery spilling
forth...
and the shards of a vase,
an anniversary gift-
( just this morning
it held
purple gladiolus)
now the flowers have
disappeared...
Then your car,
your pride
recently waxed,
transformed
into
a mangled,
misshapen
hulk of metal...
You shake your head,
cry,
" No, no."
( though thankfully
your left with your
life...)