Take Cover, Big Brother

Take Cover, Big Brother

My hands hung empty in space

Screaming and shouting for company,

A silent, open-mouthed noise

Only matched by my view out the window,

Empty dust in an ashen neighborhood

As the world whipped sideways before our eyes.

Yet somewhere nearby, another distress,

Not of the broken-hearted,

Not of the broken-bodied,

None of those,

Under the downpour of leaves

And electricity-singed air,

That live-wire cologne strong in the house,

The roof popped and lights shivered,

With every promising attempt the Big Bad Wolf made,

To blow our madhouse down.

Snapping crashing booming trunks,

Sauntering footsteps approaching our Welcome mat.

“The National Weather Service has issued a severe”

Worried mother with protective tendencies,

And a tear-soaked couch occupied by your sister.

“Stay away from windows”

And above all, be strong.

For her.

So naturally,

My atoms wrapped around that noise in that somewhere nearby

Aching for anything that might anchor us to the earth,

In this cardboard box, and read aloud,

Because Horton Heard A Who,

And a brother’s gotta do what a brother’s gotta do.

-Tyler Martin, 2015