Storm Warning

the sky has been
cloudy for ten
days and the wind
begins to stir

and i recall
the story told
by my mother
about the storm

in miami
it sounded like a
great freight train she said
and her daddy

ripped up sheets
to tie her and her
brother to the stove
or to the icebox

(she wasn't quite
sure since they were just
toddlers) to keep them
from blowing away