Damaged Memories of An Indiana Tornado
by Michael Doyle

Ominous clouds are captured in a photograph
That suggests thunderclaps as the Devil's laugh
As lightning strikes down on a Hoosier cornfield
Forked-tongued, it speaks of devastation revealed

Cracked wood is tossed across the creek's bend
As a human voice cries, praying into the wind
A solitary conductor hears this symphony of survival
As the long growl of wind sees this storm's arrival

A woman lies trapped, stuck in the fallen debris
While across the flooded road, there lay fallen trees
A tornado's path keeps moving swiftly northwest
This might be the one to suggest life's constant test

Fragments of lives swirl up into the stormy skies
While flash floods cut off escape before our eyes
Nature's fury is raw and full of intense power
A child prays to live through this darkened hour

Loss and renewal are the patterns of resilience
Here in the tragic moments of time and transience
Until the worst of this has come and soared
Away after making the earth its own worst dartboard

Small towns suffer the brunt of tornado destruction
Statistically, we search for the hints of intuition
Seeking the hows, whys, and wherefores that allude reason
Until we allow that it is just part of life's seasons

Tornado Alley rides out the winds of the present century
Knowing that each moment of this is a notch of history
Heavy rains and strong winds will continue after it is gone
And the memory of these tornadoes will linger on

(c) April 2, 2025  Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved