lights out. curtains pulled over
the windows. the crack & howl
of thunder in the distance. the sky,
grey from the thunder clouds,
casts the entire town into gloom.

it’s okay
we tell our children
it’s okay, it’s only a little storm

how precious it is
to be a child—-
to throw a tantrum in the store
& still be comforted that it is,
indeed, only a storm

to even, just maybe,
be rocked on the front porch
as the cool rain & wind
refresh the earth
& we begin again
like new