204800
Gusting winds wreak havoc
Across open fields.
Thought a freight train was
Passing through my 1880 built
Hemlock constructed home.
Looking out my kitchen window
At the old smokehouse some of the
Shingles have held steady
While others have given way.
In between our houses,
My neighbor’s American flag
Waving ever so proudly,
Its pole made stronger than
Last time bends but never breaks
As if it was laughing at the wind.
Younger stronger trees dance
With the wind while their elder
Weaker counterparts
Lean precariously as they
Do their best to withstand.
It started last night when
The hawk and his entire
Generation of family members
Descend on the countryside
At recorded speeds of almost
55 miles per hour.
And just when it seemed to ease up
Thinking we were getting a break
Swoosh!! Another gust comes through
To knock us off course.
Howling in the bright shining sun
Like wolves at a full moon,
Temps dipped like ballroom dancers
Suspended in time.
Trash cans and lawn furniture
Tossed around like rag dolls
Screen doors remain locked
To keep from being ripped
Off their hinges as my flood light
Stands watch illuminating my yard
Should someone need to stop by.
This old drafty house drinking
Heating oil like the Queen Mum
Sipping her afternoon tea.
Did we miss the memo of the
Invisible hurricane or tornado
The meteorologists forgot to mention?
If March is supposed to
“Come in like a lion”,
Then I pray that it slows its roll
And is calmed to the purr of a kitten.
This windstorm is blowing my mind.
2/25/19
