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Poetry: Tornado

by Kate Manning

Created on: August 04, 2008

A cloud, rumble of thunder and flicker of light
Threatening hues, grey, green and black
A wall, an anvil supercell so high
As nature prepares for its attack.

A crack of lightning cuts the sky
As hail begins to spit
Hot air meets cool, starts to turn
A sinister growl it emits

Slowly, reaching, the cloud grows down
In breaths and silent force
Twisting, turning, churning winds


Continues without remorse.

A terrible roar and screaming wail
A frightening, unnerving sound
Debris kicks up in violent swirls
As the funnel touches ground.

Starting on its journey,
F0 cuts through fields
Dirt and grass and leaf stripped trees,
It's not about to yield.

Heading straight toward a town
Detouring through a farm
Cows and horses run for life, as
It tears the roof from off the barn

F1 takes route upon the road
Throwing items left and right
Fencepost through a car's windshield
Tornado's reckless smite.

Chasing after invisible game
The vortex gathers might
Color changes grey to black
And day turns into night.

Taking everything it passes
F2 makes its claim
No questions asked, no mercy given
Impossible to tame.

A screaming howl of freight trains
Heard where there are no tracks
F3 is getting violent
With it's furious attacks.

Only a mile to the town
Ever increases speed
Traveling at seventy
This whirlwind shall proceed...

It tears up trees and mobile homes
To toss them through the sky
F4 blows so powerful now
And spews a deafening cry

It takes a car and throws it
And wraps it round a pole,
Drives at 200 MPH
Completely out of control.

The wedge it bends and writhes about
So close to devastation
Picks up houses from foundations
Creates annihilation.

A path has grown a mile across
Hell has just arrived,
The worst it gets, the raging fury
A relentless beast that is F5.

300 mile an hour winds
And heading into town
Destroying all it crosses
And ripping it all down.

At the boundary, going in
Tornado doesn't give
Feeding, fueling, gaining strength
Will anything live..?

Learn more about this author, Kate Manning.
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