Derecho Ghazal
And the high winds bore down, and the sky
built up that grey wall: derecho.
The taverns by the sea closed their shutters,
and the stands selling battered fries, derecho.
On the boardwalk, pieces of salt-water taffy, half-
eaten funnel cakes oozing grease and cream: derecho.
And the people on every highway, panicked, sought
a clear route for their exodus: derecho.
What’s in your emergency backpack? Beef jerky, mineral
water, flashlight, solar cells? Snap in the sound of derecho.
Yesterday, white and blue sails pretty on the water;
sharp glint of skyscraper glass. Then this derecho.
Copyright Credit: Luisa A. Igloria, "Derecho Ghazal" from Ode to the Heart Smaller than a Pencil Eraser. Copyright © 2014 by Luisa A. Igloria. Reprinted by permission of Utah State University Press.
Source: Ode to the Heart Smaller than a Pencil Eraser (Utah State University Press, 2014)