I know hurricanes.
Always swooping in overnight
With screeching winds,
Drenching rains, tornadoes.

Now Texas has come under fire
With a monster called Harvey.
Watching the devastation
Brings it all back to me.

No power for days on end.
No air conditioning; no hair drying;
No cooking; no television.
Hot sodas, no ice, bed at dusk.

Trying to get a newspaper out
Without the resources needed.
The easy part is finding folks
Willing to tell somebody their story.

Flooded homes and businesses,
Empty spaces where buildings once were.
Disruption of daily existence;
Focus on the elation of being alive.

Trees stripped of leaves,
Long lines, irritability.
Staircases leading to an open sky.
Gratitude to strangers for aid.

I know hurricanes.
And while coastal living can be ideal,
It also can be precarious.
Maybe cornfields aren’t so bad.

Note: I’m forcing myself to turn off coverage of Hurricane Harvey, or I’d never get anything done. Still, my thoughts and prayers are with those uprooted by its path. Stay safe out there!