The Storm

Feb. 21st, 2022 07:18 pm
swirlsofpurple: (Default)
[personal profile] swirlsofpurple
On Friday it’s slightly windy as I walk to work, and the rain is oddly violent considering there’s so little of it. The weather doesn’t seem unusual though, or even particularly bad. It’s February and torrential rain and howling wind is the norm in most months here. And so the assumption is that the storm is finding its feet elsewhere.

One of our co-workers doesn’t come in because of it and we think it must be bad where he is. There’s the occasional pondering of whether we will be able to get home again at the end of the day, but the tone is more joking than serious.

Intermittently throughout the day one of us looks out of the window and says: the lamp-post is swaying slightly again.

And then someone on their phone finds a picture.

Oh fuck. Definitely worse elsewhere then. A deep pit in our stomach as we stare at the phone. The chunk ripped out of the large dome of the arena.

Was anyone hurt?


*


I leave work, stepping outside tentatively. The sky is blue. The wind a mere whisper. And I think maybe it missed us almost entirely. And then I see the branches littering the ground.

The path I walk is lined with trees and I keep a wary eye out for if any might fall. I come across a wall, broken down, bricks strewn across the pavement.

As I near my road I come to a police line. I ask the officer if I can cross as I’m fairly nearby. She asks me to explain where and I do so.

She shakes her head, pointing at a tall, multi-story building. The scaffolding is coming down. Debris is flying everywhere.


*


I walk away, turning to go the long way around. I get closer from the other direction, but find another police line: from another point of damage. I don’t need to ask this time- I can see it right in front of me- the building yawning across the street.

I turn away again, walking to come at it from yet another direction. Trepidation sits unsettled in my bones as I consider all the damage near where I live. I wonder if my home is okay. I wonder if my neighbours are okay.

There’s no police line on my third try but there’s too much on the pavement to walk on it. I walk on the road instead.

I reach my home. It’s fine, my neighbours homes are also fine. I give a sigh of relief.


*


At times I think what really matters is different to us all. We all have different drives, passions, loves, the things we know- down to our marrow- that we live for.  But then comes a reminder like this, and I think: we are all just humans, wanting somewhere safe and secure, to live and love and be.

Date: 2022-02-21 10:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bleodswean.livejournal.com
Yes, yes, yes! Perfectly presented, J. I just love this. And timely. It was an effin bad storm. Thank you for the REMINDER!

Date: 2022-02-22 06:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] swirlsofblue.livejournal.com
Thank you, glad you liked the way I presented it :)

Yeah, it was bad, I think it's probably the worst one I've been in.

Date: 2022-02-22 12:21 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] adoptedwriter.livejournal.com
Whew! Storms and subsequent damage is a legitimate fear.

Date: 2022-02-22 06:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] swirlsofblue.livejournal.com
Thank you, yeah it can be really scary

Date: 2022-02-22 06:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] engarian.livejournal.com
It's rather like going through a tornado - something amazing, but an experience you'd rather not repeat.

- Erulisse (one L)

Date: 2022-02-23 02:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beautyofgrey.livejournal.com
This builds up that sense of tension and fear that always comes with storms so well. I'm glad all was okay at your home, although it sounds like your community was definitely affected.

Date: 2022-02-23 05:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] swirlsofblue.livejournal.com
Thank you

Yeah, definitely

Date: 2022-02-23 10:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] drippedonpaper.livejournal.com
Wow, so glad you are ok!

The ending is so true. We are all one step away fro. Forever. We forget that and sometimes I think that's good as we need both perspectives sometimes...'today might be my last day" but also "today was crap, I will try again tomorrow."

Keep writing!!

Date: 2022-02-24 06:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] swirlsofblue.livejournal.com
Thank you

Yeah, I agree, we definitely need both perspectives

Date: 2022-02-25 05:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] viagra.livejournal.com
The second section in particular reminds me of emerging from hiding after a hurricane here in Florida — the sun shining brightly in the blue sky, a calm breeze going through everything, almost as if nothing happened, until your eyes meet the ground and you see your neighbors also emerging from hiding to start clearing tree branches from their yards and assess the damage to their homes. It's such a bizarre feeling, really, and you captured it well. I'm glad to hear that everything was okay with your home, and sad to hear that maybe some others didn't fare so well.

Date: 2022-02-27 06:44 pm (UTC)

Date: 2022-02-27 04:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] baxaphobia.livejournal.com
This must have been so scary! I'm glad your home was spared from damage.

Date: 2022-02-27 06:44 pm (UTC)

Date: 2022-02-27 06:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] d0gs.livejournal.com
I'm so glad you and your home are okay! The build up and sense of dread in this was so well written!

Date: 2022-02-27 06:45 pm (UTC)

Date: 2022-02-28 12:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] stellinasusan.livejournal.com
Very well-penned description of the storm and your feelings,thanks for sharing this and good luck x

Date: 2022-02-28 07:04 pm (UTC)

Date: 2022-02-28 09:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] alycewilson.livejournal.com
Scary, isnt it? I was a small town newspaper reporter in the late 90s and covered the aftermath of a tornado. It was so sobering how one house was completely untouched and the next demolished.

Date: 2022-03-01 09:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] swirlsofblue.livejournal.com
Yeah

Thank you

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