what is it like to confront demon winds
and come out of it alive?
how did i face hideous demon winds
and just how did i survive?
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this is what happened to me that day in may,
it was sunny, but a humid kind of day,
didn't have a lot of rain during the spring,
it was dryer than normal, if anything.

strong southerly winds tossed leaves into the sky,
and my clothes hund on the line, trying to dry,
the sunlight faded...when did the clouds roll in?
boy, they looked nasty...low, black...started to spin,

a strange yellow-greenish tint colored the air,
that is when i really began to be scared,
i gathered up my clothes, had to get indoors,
i turned on the t.v., rain started to pour,

i tried to get info from the local news,
they said "light showers," but outside, the storm blew,
the rain didn't last long, storm's over, i guessed,
a sudden roaring sound came out of the west,

i went to the window, couldn't believe my eyes,
rooted in place by what i saw...paralyzed,
a huge tornado coming across the field,
it would hit my street if it didn't turn, yield,

the power went out...oh, God, what do i do??
i hid in the bathroom, the roar grew and grew,
the bathtub started shaking...so did the walls,
struck on the head...the roar became very small,

and everything faded...i had been knocked out,
the next thing i knew, someone called with a shout,
"someone's trapped here, she is caught in the debris!"
two paramedics were standing over me,

they said, "don't try to move...just where do you hurt?"
one kneeled down, and gently wiped my face of dirt,
i tried to answer...but it hurt me to try,
closed my eyes to the pain, and began to cry,

they got me out, to the hospital i went,
that's where the next three months of my life were spent,
had a broken back, pelvis, legs and ribs, too,
but i had survived when demon winds persued.
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**THIS STORY IS FICTIONAL**

i've been watching a program on the weather
channel, "storm week." this poem was in-
spired by last night's installment, "tornado!"
they were talking to people that had surviv-
ed an encounter with tornadic winds. this
is based on some of their experiences.

myself, i've been in three real tornadoes.
thank God, none of them were this bad. in
the last tornado (january 17, 1996, in burle-
son, texas), i lost my roof. that was scary
enough, thank you very much!!

i sprout feathers everytime it storms...any
time there is even a threat of severe storms,
i have my weather radio handy, set on "alert
stand-by." that sucker goes off, i'm gonna
be ready!

and here i am...in tornado alley, with no
basements or much of a shelter...all i can
do is hide in an ittybittyteenytinyCLAUS-
TROPHOBICsized half bath.

guess that's better than nothing...