Zillion Pieces Of A Tuscaloosa Twister 2011

Millions of memory articles of thousands of people - in a zillion broken pieces

Of a Tuscaloosa twister trailing things toward Birmingham in tornadic landings.

Toothpick shattered trees lay scattered, mangled with metal, to rest in peace

In aftermath storm destruction, leaving terrain marks of barren pitted landscapes.

Swatch of utter devastation leaving concrete horizontal home bare foundations

With everything that was home, scattered within nature’s shredding machine,

Mulched memories in tattered torn remnants of Tuscaloosa Twister annihilation

From a mile wide tornado leaving miracles of small areas of untouched figurines.

How do you cement lives together that have lost all their precious possessions?

Some things may show up on Facebook pages, found miles away by neighbors

Trying to return fragments with Crimson faith of neighborly Alabama compassion

But memories will haunt survivals, where every April they look toward Mississippi,

Fearing super cells that create zillion pieces of another Tuscaloosa Twister.

David Lester Young 05/10/11 ©