The weather was cold and warm
The perfect in between.
The pool was pure serenity
Until the wind whipped up.
I decided to go to the playground instead.
Almost simultaneously after leaving the water
I dried off from the intensity of the wind.
I curiously glanced behind me
A gray tunnel of wind was heading straight toward me.
The piercing screams of children arose from behind me
TORNADO!
Everyone began to sprint in separate directions.
The tornado was leaving a trail of disaster.
Trees torn into two
Houses completely ripped away from the ground
Cars being flown through the air
And I was next in its path.
Even through the screaming, I could hear
my heartbeat.
My instincts took action, I bolted to the car.
I could hear the loud slap of my flip flops
slamming against the pavement.
My hands wouldn’t stop shaking, I couldn’t grab hold of the handle.
My family came to join me, opening my door
“Come on, it’s time to go.”
As we drove away, I gazed through
the back window
There was a loud screeching sound
The swing set was separating from the ground
There was a snapping sound, and the swing set flew into the air.
I turned back around, everyone was dead silent.
All the pain, and destruction
The people who didn’t have a car to escape
The ones in those houses that flew into the sky
I am lucky to have made it out with no harm done
And those images will be forever burned
into my mind.