An Act Of God Poem by L MILTON HANKINS

The sky blackened in the west about sundown
Bringing a sudden specter of terror, to my surprise,
Like the chill that grips you when you hear gunshots
Up the block.Slacked mouth and wide-opened eyes
Need calm assurance or better someone to hug
Knowing deep someone pleads for life or dies.

An angry twister flees the hazy horizon, headlong,
Flinging aside everything in its preordained path
Of destruction.Heart pumping and arms flailing,
Beckoning to the storm cellar before the wind's wrath,
Beyond the point of no return where nothing matters
But life itself and what can only be the aftermath.

Quickly, quickly to the shelter!Low to the ground
Beneath where no one else but I have sought escape
In the few moments while the howling overhead
Sucks out the air.Acts of God leave a hollow gape
Feelings of power, control, abuse, fear, and loss-
Helps me comprehend the true meaning of rape.