Hurricane!

Words entering ears

Grabbing and shaking

Is this real?

Preparations take place

Direct hit?

Complete miss?

Anxiety abounds

Hours turn to days

Words confirm the worst

Impending doom

Becoming reality

Rain falls harder

Along with the tears

Winds blow stronger

Taking all sense of control

The storm quiets

Destruction seen

Trees no longer standing

Power gone

Trees along the fence at front of our property

Grass covered land

Now holding water

Rising higher and higher

Will it stop? 

The back of our house in the aftermath of the storm

Shingles of protection

Winds ripping away

Roof no longer defending

All things underneath

My husband, stopping the leaks

Rain and wind pounding

Changing the structure

Never the same

Effects now visible

Attic items moved

Away from the water

Dripping . . . dripping

A foot unexpectedly

Stepping

Through a wet ceiling

Not falling

Into the the room below

My entire leg fell through. Luckily the rest of me did not.

Mold growing and spreading

Insurance claims

Repairing, rebuilding

Takes time

Our garage ceiling

More destruction follows

Rivers incapable of containing the swell

Breaching the banks

Holland Shelter Restaurant in Pender County

Killing people and livestock 

Destroying homes

Leaving people and pets

Displaced, now homeless

Hungry and wet

Posted on Facebook by Pender County Emergency Management

In the aftermath

Harm continues . . .

Mosquitoes breeding exponentially

Larvae becoming pupae

Emerging from watery wombs

Relentlessly attacking

Upon opening the door

Forcing refuge

Away from the swarm

Hurricane gone

Help arriving from everywhere!

Bringing calming relief

Thankful for all

Pender County Emergency Management Posting

Is this story about hurricanes or cancer

I wonder?

Thick with similarities 

The winds of uncertainty

Never stop blowing

Cells 

Growing into a frenzy

Destroying, killing

Treatments flowing through blood

Changing, damaging

The body 

The onslaught of either

Resembling watery roadways

Impossible to maneuver

Causing cancelled infusions

Medications delayed
Possible progression
Potential for death

As with a hurricane

Time moves forward

Coping mechanisms kick-in

The winds of acceptance

Ebbing and flowing

Depending

For some

Unfortunately

Stormy conditions remain

Long after its landing

Leaving us searching

For that showcase of hope

In a beautiful rainbow

That the flooding will stop

Clouds moving on

The sun peeking through

Shining life into all

Once again

My front yard before hurricanes Matthew and Florence destroyed the trees along our fence.