He Had 7 or 8 Horses
_______________
explaining a tornado
First he called it a monster
then a giant lawn mower
then a flying landfill
little kids come out of the
wreckage luckily alive with faces
that look again like the newborn
state troopers hats look nothing like those worn in Vermont
the Oklahoma hat looks like a hard
shelled insect
I break
when I hear the radio announcer's
voice break
the tornado is coming from across the earth —
you make a mistake wondering
what does it all mean?
we're becoming used to children dying
this should be given some thought. . .
and more thought
their last moment on earth
the children were seen
hugging a wall
he had 7 or 8 horses —
now he has 1 horse
and no shirt
they were bleeding and hurt teachers
carrying children out of the wreckage
holding them like parents
this is happening faraway —
yet on the only planet
with life
neighborhood after neighborhood
wiped away
back to earth
it all comes it all goes
but memories
are fixed
Tornadoes
and bedrock —
the Indians knew to keep moving
for big & little
He Had 7 or 8 Horses
_______________
explaining a tornado
by © Bob Arnold
Longhouse ~ Vermont
May 2013
