An ice storm came to my town—
with booms and explosions
it brought tree limbs down.
Fierce thunderous cracks woke us up in the night,
would trees pierce the walls
of our bedrooms?
—They might!
We scrambled in bed with the grownups so tight
while ice murdered maples throughout the long night.
Mom lit a candle,
Jim found a flashlight,
I trembled
in awe
and in fear
...and delight!
In the morning the whole world stood still.
I crept to the window
and gripped the wood sill.
Our yard was a jumble of trees—it was mad.
Had our car been destroyed
by a tree trunk?
—It had!
Icicles glittering bright, and pine boughs,
power lines twisted, the havoc was bad.
Our neighbors’ roof—busted
by ice, cold and white.
I stared out
in awe
and in fear
...and delight!
Greetings and happy winter. It seems posting one poem a week has been a misnomer. I see my last post was two months ago! If you’re seeing this, be sure check out the many poets and poetry bloggers at the Poetry Friday Roundup. This week the host is Amy at The Poem Farm.
Thanks for your powerful, suspenseful, and moving poem! I like the delight tucked in there. Hope all are okay.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle!
ReplyDeleteWhat I love about this poem is the experience of childhood - terror a sliver of a millimeter from wild giggles as uncontrolled nature elicits all kinds of feelings - trembling in awe, fear, and delight is 100% so real. Love it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Tanita :-)
DeleteYou are so gifted, my friend, with getting so beautifully inside the mind of a teen. I love how the trees are mad and that the child finds both fear and delight. Glad you came to PF!
ReplyDelete🤪
DeleteA scary--and fascinating--storm! I can imagine the kid thinking all of this.
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan :-)
DeleteThis is such an incredibly visceral poem -- I felt every word of it. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Liz
DeleteIt's funny how the "delight" portion of the evening has gone away by the time we are adults. :D
ReplyDelete😋
DeleteNicely done - a roller coaster of emotions, and it rhymes!
ReplyDeleteThanks Rose!
DeleteIsn't it crazy how we can be both fearful and delighted by mayhem?
ReplyDeleteYes Indeed! Thanks Patricia
DeleteI hope some of this poem is fiction (the car, the roof)! Ice storms are definitely part terrifying, part awe-inspiring. I once stood at the front door of my childhood home and watched my car get totalled by a hail storm with stones the size of quarters.
ReplyDeleteThat must have been mesmerizing and horrific. Possibly delightful? My poem is not fictitious, but neither is it autobiographical. Thanks for the reply Mary Lee!
ReplyDeleteLike LIz, I was right there with the narrator. Nice meter, Doida.
ReplyDeleteTHIS is a delight! I so relate. Living in the Buffalo, NY area, I am always so excited by storms. The power, the beauty, the what could happen. The exquisiteness mixed with horror and magic. "Ice murdered maples" really got me. This holds it all and such great fun to read, Doida! xo for the week ahead.
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