Unexpected

I read a favorite book aloud to the boys
All day. The power went off in the evening.
We couldn’t figure out why.
Phil went outside into the stillness.
Later, the boys followed him.
One, two, three, four.

I watched out the window
As an unexpected gust hit out of the still air.
It picked up insulation, long boards, and
Dropped them down like a Dr. Seuss drawing,
Raining blue board and lumber on my sons.

No chance to dodge a twelve foot 2x12 falling from the sky.
Cowering won’t help. Nowhere to run.
I watched, aghast.

My Mother used to say, “It’s a miracle any of us survive.”
Today, that miracle: one, two, three, four.