Scene from the day after a hurricane

A poem from the archives

Two years ago Hurricane Ian devastated the coast of Southwest Florida, including the area where we lived. If you were affected by Hurricane Helene this week, please know that I’ve been holding space for you.

September 29, 2022 12:01 p.m.

Scene From the Day After a Hurricane 

For days before the storm my bones ached,
as if my body knew this would not be a glancing blow
but a deep, direct hit. I’m cleaning up the remnants
of trees in the yard when I see the feathers. Gray and white,
they look soft against all the brokenness around me.
I want to touch them, to see if there is any comfort there, but I don’t.

Did she, like me, feel it coming?
Did she have a nest she couldn’t leave?
Was she scared by the swaying of the branches?
Was she determined in the face of the wind?
Is this the only evidence left of her?
Or is she out there somewhere, flying free?