Convenience Store During a Storm

The lights went out
and I lost sight of who else
was in the convenience store

but I could see the twister
heading our way.
We had to find

the safest place
to protect ourselves,
from this fast moving menace.

The group spoke in calm voices
while we figured out the safest place.
A young boy,

about six or eight,
started to cry when we crowded
into the walk-in refrigerator.

It felt like a freight train
hit us at full speed
the building shook.

Our screams bounced off the walls
pierced by the shrieks from the young boy
the old woman shouted,
“JESUS, JESUS, JESUS!”

The teenager behind me yelled out,
“I love all of you.”
The pounding by the winds
seemed to last forever...

The owner described the experience
like wrestling with a groaning,
breathing, evil, entity.

He had hunkered down outside the refrigerator,
using his back to brace himself against the door
and counter to protect us from the storm.

He said it felt like a tug of war
where the tornado almost won
but in the end we all survived.

The building and cars were destroyed.
so we had to walk through
an obstacle course

of broken glass and debris
to hurry home
and search for our families.

I heard the news report say there are
more storms in the forecast
maybe it’s not too late to move away.


The firsthand account was recreated after watching
a video of the experience and reading the morning news.
Prayers go out to all.