Seperation
A siren rings out across the suburban grid and shreds the erring air.
Branches hold their breath to avoid even the slightest twitch. Still,
somewhere in the distance, but closer than initially expected, a force
that tears apart homes, chases the children. Afraid of being swallowed
by a funnel of angry gusts, they hide in the basement and cross
their arms to block the screech of the blackened freight train.
All of a sudden, the gray downward spiral is flecked
with common household items, tearing the toaster from
its spot on the kitchen countertop. The frame of the house
rips apart and hurls across the ravaged concrete.
The only thing left, a brown mat in the front,
a door opens into a collapsed pile of wood.
And even when the heaviness of the clouds
dissipates, the world outside lies soiled,
the green hue replaced with
yellow, but one that
lent warm days or
serotonin, one that
left a stain on
the memory of
what it was like
before the
storm.