The Storm Dreader

It’s late, it’s storming,
Thunder, lightning,
Intermittent wind gusts,
Please just end, just end, just…

I will always be afraid.
Skies blacken, dark clouds invade.
Raindrops become pellets,
Assaulting like jets.

Too terrified to sleep,
Look out window, take a peep.
Pace through the house, look north, then west,
Steal a few glances, cannot rest.

At attention, like a sentinel,
Waiting for “all clear” signal.
All my senses on high alert,
Although my body feels inert.

What time is it? Has it passed?
How much longer can it last?
Want to close my eyes, have to sleep,
If I do, from bed I might leap!

Did I just hear the siren?
Wish the AC wasn’t on.
Did I imagine hearing it?
Why isn’t that NOAA lit?

Loud sounds clashing,
Winds roar, rain slashing.
Sounds attack my equilibrium.
I listen, don’t breathe, lose momentum.

Thank God the AC stopped running,
Only hear raindrops falling.
What time is it? Has it passed?
I think it’s over, finally at last!

Thunder returns.
My stomach churns.
Fast forward through dark minutes and hours,
If I was Zeus, I’d summon my powers!

Lynn Martin McHale May 20, 2013 Copyright All Rights Reserved

Note:  I am very afraid of the storms we get in the Midwest.  I actually wrote this poem as a bad storm was happening real time.

NOAA stands for National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.  You can buy devices that NOAA will broadcast weather alerts for tornadoes, flash flooding, and other weather conditions.  You program your area into the device so information is specific to your local area.  It’s a great thing to have during storms.