Calm Before the Last - Jason Stricker

Calm Before the Last

i.
Before any storm,
Strikes a calmness that causes anxiety.
Everyone who experiences it
Sits or stands impatiently for the arrival
of the first big blast or the sudden downpour
to follow.

ii.
This storm seems to be no different,
Except for the feeling. Everyone is awaiting the calm.
The quiet and gloominess are hints that this storm is vast.
After days of quiet gloominess are hints that this storm is vast.
After days of not being awaken by sun, but by fear,
The weather hasn’t changed. But there’s a storm coming soon,
In the distance.

iii.
The storm seems to be a no show. All of the sudden,
The loudest thunder cracks the sky in pieces. And clouds hang
So low, that the sky actually seems like it’s falling. Treacherous rain
Makes everyone sprint for higher ground. After experiencing those ten minutes
That feel like forever, another calm hangs for three seconds.
Then, right in the middle of Kansas,
Waves are coming from every direction,
Peaking at hundreds of feet,
Curl over like the perfect tube,
And race to destroy all that’s left
Of a country that stood higher
Than the rest of the world.