The Bird Still Sings
- Kathy Mackey
I watched the sky
darken at noon.
Wild winds shook
the windows.
Sirens echoed
across the city and
people scurried
from buildings
scanning the horizon
for funnels.
I waited and
watched the sky
from the loading
dock of the store
worried about
relentless disaster.
“Don’t go outside”
said Mr. Bailey
“Why did we send
everybody out?”
I felt anxious for
our customers.
“Store policy,” and
he lit a cigarette.
We stood watching
the tornado
hover at the edge
of the city,
a looming funnel
of destruction
menacing us with
furious power.
It whirled across
splintering rooftops
then back into the
black lightning
of the fast moving
thunder storm
leaving behind an immense
silence
lifted briefly by
the chirping of a bird.
We began to chatter
in shaky voices.
Quiet gave way to
the grind of
car engines, fire
trucks, human noise.
I marveled at the
bravery of that bird
singing its song
in the dark silence,
just living its
life until its over
and not before
then.
