Tuesday First Drafts

High Winds

Outside my window, the night is impossibly still
Not even winking at the calamity
Forecast for later tonight:
Buses and SUVs are at risk
For rollover.  Use extreme caution.
Prepare for possibly lengthy 
Power outages. 
One time, with no severe weather alert,
the deck gate was ripped off its hinges.
What can you do to prevent such a thing?

There was no meteorologist to
Predict your tempest this evening
When the bath was over
And the water turned off.
I opened the drain and unknowingly
Destroyed your emotional center
Tilted you at the windmills of sanity
Caged you in your suffering rage.
I was not prepared, but I did
Try to contain the whirling dervish of
Your tiny naked body, tried to
Quiet the demonic storm in you.

We've put the bikes and toys inside
And lowered the bird feeders.
We've parked the high risk SUV and
Laid the patio umbrella beneath the benches.
We've made the preparations,
Boarded the metaphorical windows.
And somehow, I doubt it will blow.
I've already weathered tonight's storm.