Sometimes they sneak up on us.
Sometimes we see them coming,
the horizon black and still.
This last one was a doozy.
Flying debris,
lightning like shattered glass,
deafening thunder right behind it,
and rain that seemed it might drag
everything away.
When it finally ended
there were tree limbs on the ground,
roof tiles missing,
the basement flooded.
I don’t know how many more storms like that
this old place can take,
but it’s been weathering them for decades
and it’s still standing.
We did have some work done on it
years ago and maybe that helped,
but it seems more likely
it was just built well from the start
on a solid foundation.
And, after,
it is usually me who does most of the cleanup,
as it should be.
For it is usually me who is to blame.
Brian Gotta is a San Diego-based poet and author with a BA in English Literature from Indiana University. His poems have appeared or will appear in Third Wednesday, Pink Ochre, Watertower Press, The Soliloquist, AC/DC Lit Magazine, The Big ?, Effable Press, Fresh Words Magazine, the San Diego Poetry Annual, MockingOwl Roost: Sprigs of Peace, and Literary Cocktail Magazine. His previous work includes a young adult novel, four children’s sports novels, a youth baseball coaching guide, and Congratulations! You’re a Millionaire!, published by Possibility Press. BrianGotta.com | @booksbygotta
Header photography and artwork by Jordan Keller-Wilson
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