She grew up in the land of twisters,
seeking shelter in middle bathrooms.
She baptized herself in the rivers of glass
sparkling through the broken house.
Wall clouds turned and blackened,
the sky decayed, fell down from itself.
Monsters ate trees in the night
but by morning, birds always returned,
the feeders full of color and song,
while all around hailstones melted.
Only small questions remained, then;
the big ones were all torn up
with the trees and trails, apologies
she used to believe she owed.
A familiar man in coveralls claims
he can repair the roof faster, cheaper,
better than the other guys who don’t
understand these things (sign here please).
Her fists clench, knuckles ache like love;
she relaxes only when he leaves.
She whispers secrets to her daughter:
about the days of electricity and engines,
about the thrill of kneeling wild-eyed
before the weather radio’s robot voice,
about prayers for thunder and wind,
about how she learned to control storms
and how everything that happens
flashes in a dark and roaring instant.
—
Call this my first NaPoWriMo poem for this April. I had mixed feelings about the whole thing last year, but here I am again, back for more. I won’t be posting here on weekends, of course, but I’ll still be writing my daily stones at a gnarled oak (but I often don’t post weekend stones until Monday). One where or another, though, there will be daily poems.
James Brush is a teacher and writer who lives in Austin, TX. He tries to get outside as much as possible.
Interesting, James. Love the feeders and the knuckles that ache like love.
Are you using a prompt list?
Thanks, Sherry. No prompt for this one, but I’ll probably be using some of the Big Tent prompts next week.
Eerie poem, James, quite intense images created here. I hope to see you around for the month, I always enjoy your writing.
Pamela
Thanks, Pamela.
Damn. This is stunning… I admit those first three couplets held my attention more than the rest, just because they were so shockingly beautiful. I don’t suppose the title is a tip of the hat to Talking Heads? 🙂
Thanks, Joseph. And, yes, that is totally a Talking Heads reference… Good catch. (They’re one of my favorite bands).
eerie but good….thanks for sharing this one
You wrote a twisted tale, and did it great.
Brilliant!
Glad to see you continue writing..
smart words..
Great use of the verb tenses, too.
Thanks for your comments, everyone.