The local news station has said all week
    there would be bad weather today,
        storms with wind and hail,
maybe tornadoes.

This thick air outside
    building bulky black clouds
        just as quickly scattered as they appear
has kept me on edge

And those meteorologists on TV
    play into the brightly colored maps.
        They love a good story.
After all, it keeps us watching.

But my brain keeps returning to the night
    they weren’t predicting those rains we got
        bringing floods and all that destruction
until well into early morning

when we all woke to water,
    and for some
        it was too late
So, maybe they’re overcompensating

just in case,
    but all I know is I hate this feeling
        when all the pressure pushes against the atmosphere
and it feels like something is about to give,

but no one can say for certain what.