Yesterday, the weather map was filled with red–
storms, floods, and tornadic activity, the meteorologists said,
as north and south of us, the warnings became real wind reels–
inspiring fear with their acrobatic turns–
and here, the sky darker, we watched the TV screen,
while the heavens grew angry, and the wind yelled at trees.
Our phone alerts went off, and so did theirs–
the women on the screen—who stood, no hair in disarray,
continuing to explain, so patient and with care–I assume–
because we turned them off and left the room.
I wondered then if the basement was a womb or tomb,
as we texted family, and the lights flickered, once, then twice–
but stayed on. That was close, I thought,
and confirmed, a tornado hit nearby, but not
us. Not this time. We returned upstairs
where I made tuna sandwiches for dinner. We watched a show,
and checked on people we know—all OK.
Today, the summer heat is gone, the sky is September blue,
eagles soar over the river, and geese scatter, honking in queues,
as the world turns, the sun burns bright over the rising water.
A quick explanation in hasty verse. Thank you for everyone who checked on me! From about 4 in the afternoon till about 7, we had tornado watches and warnings throughout the Philadelphia area. I don’t normally watch TV news or weather, but conditions were scary. There were tornado sightings north and west of Philadelphia, that moved east, and there were other bands coming from the south from Baltimore, through Delaware, and into New Jersey. Our tornado watch became a warning, but it still seemed kind of far, till it didn’t, and our alerts went off. They went off on the TV meteorologists’ phones, too. We went down to the basement with our devices for about half an hour. We did not have any damage at our house, or any I noticed in my town, except for some branches down. One tornado was close to one of the wineries we go to often. You can see a video here. It’s terrifying! I just looked it up, and we’re about 14 miles away.
There were other tornados near us, too. There has also been flooding. When I walked this morning, it looked like the Delaware had risen enough to leave debris on the sidewalk that the groundskeepers were sweeping up. However, the Schuylkill River crested this morning at 16.35 feet. It hasn’t been that high since 1869. If you don’t know Philadelphia, the Schuylkill River is the river the art museum looks out over, and it runs by 30th Street Station. The major Philadelphia highways are underwater today, and much of the city is flooded. Streams in the area have flooded, too.
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Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
Glad you’re ok.
Thank you, Cheryl!
Because I don’t watch news much, I had no idea you were in harm’s way. I’m so glad you are okay but grieve for those affected.
As a Floridian, I’m familiar with scary weather alarms. You nailed it in your verse when you say “the warnings became real wind reels–
inspiring fear with their acrobatic turns–
and here, the sky darker, we watched the TV screen,
while the heavens grew angry, and the wind yelled at trees.
What a vivid picture your words paint. Thank you, Merril. Again, I’m so glad you are okay. ((( )))
Thank you very much, Marian. I was thinking we do not really know how to prepare like people who have hurricanes often. I feel bad for all the people who really were impacted, but it was scary. I was wondering if your sister in PA was affected by the storms?
I don’t think so as she has since moved away from the area. Thanks for asking.
You’re welcome. I’m glad she’s OK.
I’m so glad you’re safe Merril. That was a little too close for comfort.
Sending Hugs
Thanks so much, David. Hugs back to you!
We have family up your way, so be were tuned into the Weather Channel. I’m glad you’re safe, Merril. Some homes in NJ were completely demolished…so sad.
Thanks so much, Jill. I hope your family members are all OK. Yes, some FB friends have posted photos of the destruction. And Philadelphia still has flooded streets. 😔
Yes, they are all safe. Thanks! I saw one of the interstates in Philly had 20 feet of water.😳
Yes, I 676 that goes from the Ben Franklin Bridge to the Schuylkill Expressway was underwater–and there were other roads, too in the city and around it.
Womb or Tomb… YIKES!
However, the cat looks comfy.
Glad all is okay for you and yours!
Merril, I keep thinking about your previous post, “The Wind Whispers Storms”.
Seems prophetic now.
Thanks so much, Resa. I know–I was thinking that too about the previous poem. Yikes!
Our kitty was very comfy. He had dinner before, so he was satisfied to take his after dinner nap there. 😀
Great to here you are Ok… my cousins are in Philly and I’ve just messaged them, they are all ok … Phew !!
Hi Ivor! Thank you. I’m glad your cousins are OK, too. I know they’re still pumping water off the highways in Philadelphia.
On the news here … New York was really bad 🥲
Yes, it does look bad there.
Glad you’re ok. We were in the basement too. I take tornadoes seriously having grown up in Tennessee and seen neighbors lose their houses. Apparently there was a tornado about 5 miles away from us but we had no damage. I feel fortunate. So much destruction elsewhere.
Thank you, Claudia. Yes, there is so much destruction from the tornado and the flooding. They’re still pumping 676. My sister who lives in your area said there was one around Willow Grove–I think that one hit before the ones near us. I’m glad you’re OK.
We were out today and from what I can understand the tornado hit the Ft. Washington/Horsham area. A real mess. Topped trees, debris in roadway, wires down, power out, houses and buildings damaged with siding gone, roofs gone, etc – (we walked on the Horsham Power line trail in Ambler.Horsham and all you hear are generators chugging away). Not just a little of each of these things, a lot. Never seen anything like it. I am grateful we did not get this and glad you are ok too.
So horrible! My dad lived in that area for a while (many years ago).
I saw a woman coming out of her front door and locking it as if everything were normal, which is wasn’t, there was a tree lying on the house.
It’s very weird. This is like a little story.
Yes. I have a feeling the scene will emerge into something, art or writing, or just stick in my memory. It was…intriguing.
I imagine it will. 😀
I hadn’t realised how close it was, Merril. So pleased that you were unscathed.
Thanks so much, Derrick. 💙
Glad you are all ok Merril. Your post evokes the power of it all … we watched it on CNN and it was hard to believe. Here’s hoping that order after chaos will be the order of the day …
Thank you very much, Susan! Yes, one can hope. . .
That is so scary! Very glad to hear you and yours are all okay. Boy oh boy, Mother Nature is on a rampage!
Thank you, Dale. She certainly is!
It’s good you left before all this happened.
She is and no kidding! Great timing (twice)!
Yes!
Wow, Merril, thanks for the info and good to know you’re okay. I wasn’t really paying attention to Ida until the news reports after she went through. Your poem is so powerful, the imagery and the rhyming that pulls me along like a flood.
I do worry about flooding around here, especially after a hurricane. We’ve been lucky. Some houses in our neighborhood have flooded; several years ago a few had to be razed and replaced with a storm water pond, so but so far we just get soggy.
Thanks so much, Marie.
I think this was particularly scary because there were so many alerts in our area, and then several tornados, both in NJ and PA. And then all the flooding, too. I’m glad you haven’t had any flooding.
That video you shared of the tornado near the winery … how frightening. I just feel lucky. Any place I’ve been where there’s a natural disaster, whether earthquake or hurricane, we (me, the husband and cats) have been fine. Sometimes I feel like I have survivor’s guilt, but I hope our luck doesn’t run out.
I thought it was very frightening, too. There are a bunch of houses near there that were damaged or destroyed. Also, a dairy farm–but they were able to rescue most of the cows.
Between COVID and the weather, it’s like constant anxiety. . .
Oh, indeed. Last night Tropical Storm Mindy came through. Usually rain at night makes it easier for us to sleep, but not this rain. It came down so hard I spent most of the night worrying that branches and trees might come down as well. Fortunately the only damage we had was my red penta plant was partially decapitated by a small branch 😉
I’m glad you did not have any other damage! That’s no fun when you can’t sleep because of a storm. I thought we might have that last night here, but it was just rain.
The fear of nature’s fury came through very clearly in your poem. Then I watched the video. Yikes!! I’m glad that you and yours are all okay.
Thank you so much, Liz!
You’re most welcome, Merril!
This sounds like a terrifying ordeal Merril: I’m glad you’re ok!
Thank you, Ingrid! It was scary because of all the stuff going on nearby, but we were fortunate. There were several houses and farms destroyed.
I am pleased no one close to you was hurt!
💙
This shall too pass…..
I’m so late in commenting. But I knew you all were okay. But others in southern NJ – not so much. What a storm. your poem – well done, rhyming and all. xo
Thanks so much, Pam!