He knew all about the weather- Mother Nature’s
mood swings, her temperamental lows and highs, her
wishy-washy wretched ways of sweeping circuitous
chaos, whirling through lives like an undecided
lover. He knew how to track her storms,
predict her wayward path; even when his
life was at risk. He bravely stood in the
center of cat four and five hurricanes
while everyone evacuated, hanging
onto trees so he wouldn’t blow away.
He dared to chase tornadoes, getting
as close as a snake on the prowl,
recoiling just in time. When
earthquakes or tsunamis hit
without warning, shook
everyone’s lives into
disarray, he was first
to find the action
arrive on the scene
amidst the deadly debris
and destruction, while all
the while toying with threats
of the aftermath. Yes, he
could do all that and
survive, but he could
not stop drinking;
alcohol is the
storm that
took his
life.
©laurie kolp
Prompt inspiration: dVerse Poetics: Whatever the Weather
with poet Stu Mcpherson
ugh….what a close on this…and happens to far too many….ironic as well his willingness to chase the storm and not deal with the one in his own life…and maybe they played into each other as well…love the concrete…smiles.
Love the way you’ve linked the weather to human nature and how human nature is ultimately even more destructive than weather… splitting the atom
oh heck…such a shame he couldn’t master that storm..such a brave man.. and then brought to fall by something far more destructive than any storm i can think of.. very well told
Wow….exceptional Laurie …. Life sure can be a storm – destructive, untameable, unstoppable….and like mother nature- sometimes we can do nothing about it….this was a sad sad tale….but painted with a heartfelt honesty and truth that just made me feel every word….so good
Oh yes that storm of alcoholism takes so many lives in more ways than one. Excellent.
Love the concrete words flowing from your pen ~ So sad about the storm of his life ~
Wow, this is intense, Laurie. Most of your poem showed his strength, his bravery; and the ending showed his weakness which was his downfall. So sad that he could not conquer alcohol as he conquered acts of nature.
a perfect shape for this poem… & it’s funny (tragic, really) to think of what we humans can achieve & still not be able to get a handle on the little things that can ruin our lives
How sad. To be so brave as to want to be right there in the center of those hurricanes and yet not be able to conquer his own demons. Love the form of this, like a tornado too. Powerful (sad) write Laurie.
I love the shape of this poem – I love the words in this poem – I love this poem
I like the shape of the poem (format) and how it reads. I like how you’ve personified Mother Nature. A sad ending, but very nice poem.
the first thing I noticed, Laurie was the shape of the poem, like an upturned bourbon bottle, and the words were crammed into it like dozens of fortune cookies saturated with poetic truth, pathos, and the sting of inevitability; really enjoyed the piece, and the twist ending punched me in the plexus.
whirling through lives like an undecided
lover.
At first I thought it was a tornado… but Glenn pointed out an upturned bourbon bottle! Wow… very powerful and sad.
Excellent and very emotional shaped poem..I felt the tornado without at first glance, but the power was when you took us to the tornado within at the end. Really fine write, Laurie!
storms inside and outside.
the storms within are always the hardest to survive. great shape poem!
The weather may be difficult to control or influence..But it certainly is far more difficult dealing with the many moods of mankind!
Hank
Wow, Laurie, you have chosen a powerful, ominous shape to show us the downward spiral of this guy’s life. Your poem is tremendous.
Great poem, and you caught me flat-footed with the ending. So true of too many good men and women. So full of so much good and so strong, except, against the one demon.
Fantastic write, Laurie!
Lauria, this is wonderful. All the aspects worked for me, the short shaped lines gave a sense of urgency – the sound is very pressed–the metaphors are wonderful, the recoiling snake etc., and then the end, of course, is just very power. Fighting the elements. Well done. k.
Really powerful, Laurie.
It is a storm that overpowers many people. I loved this write!
sometimes our demons are greater than our abilities… a good write
Sounds like some of the reporter-journalists in my life.
It seems they can’t do their jobs without it.
Stormy presentation and all.
I do relate to this excellent poem. I love the images of his risk-taking and courage. Unfortunately, that behavior was based on a character where alcoholism ultimately took its toll. A wonderful piem, a cautionary tale about the dire effects of alcoholism.
OW WOOOOOO! I love this tornado! I know this tornado personally, tho drink was not the dumb-down factor. Such a smart, accomplished, risk taking model of humanity–refusing to get off the powder keg. I admire your patterning it down to the abrupt shock at the bottom–where it seems the smallest, but is the worst of all. Bravo.
Nature in all its forms brilliantly put
Power=packed metaphor, Laurie…and I love the shape you created!
Isn’t this just way of it–it’s the seemingly “little” things that bring down the bold and the brave! Wonderful post to fully reveal this!
The whole poem is a set up for the last line, and it’s a lulu. Great, masterful writing, as per usual.
Your poem could be the shape of a tornado or a wine glass;
Excellent write…
awesome; well i’m from california, and we earned the word. So many levels all work together; wonderful ending. Total wow
Laurie…I’m not at home and couldn’t access your e-mail. Because of week of celebration at dVerse, everything’s delayed a week, so your poem will be posted a week from Thursday instead of the 19th!
Okay. Thanks for letting me know. Hope you’re enjoying your vacation!