The radio screeched
With impending doom
So we grabbed what we could
And bolted out of the room

Midnight rain
Like knives
Across my cheek became
As we race into the night
With a prayer and a
Plastic flashlight

A few hundred yards
And we’re at the edge
Of the ravine
Against my round belly
My wet clothes cling
Even in this moment
I feel dis…
Gusting wind pushing me
Hard into the ground
Mud in my teeth
Pulled back to my feet
By the leash of a hound

My mother’s hand
Guides me
Down a steep
Wooded ridge where
We grasp onto a tree
Knee-deep in water
With debris-riddled hair

She wants to protect me
But I’m mad at the world
This storm ain’t got **** on me
Eyes closed
Knuckles curled

I just want to exist
So I wrap my
Fists  around
The throat of God
Call me an exorcist!

A thunderclap
Like a holy slap
Awakens me
From my rage
But my anger is righteous
And will not be assuaged
.
.
Silence for a moment, then
.
.
The air becomes strange
Wet and hot
I feel the chemicals change
In the atmosphere
And within my frame

Fingers of lightning
Pull me into the sky
I spit the mud from my mouth
With a glint in my eye

I’m above the tree line now
And I have no master
Crossing state lines
I am a natural disaster

Every attempt to contain me
Is laid to waste
Every missile fired through me
I consume in haste
Your fear is palpable
My tongue savors the taste

I
Am
The
Tornado
Ignore the warning
On the radio

Because there is
No shelter
My monsoon
Is at your gate
I will tear into your
Palaces of hate
The bones of your disgrace
Broken up like kindling
In my roaring fireplace