Waiting Out the Storm by Terry Tierney

Lightning flares my windows,
carves the edge of darkness
with storm clouds of agony,
low groan of rock on rock.

Broken stumps line the road,
stripped of bark, roots clutching dirt
like corpses gripping dry sheets,
the death rattle of fallen branches.

Sparkless cables lie uncoiled,
drained of voices, words lost to wind
dropping vowels like thankless gifts,
my lips gritty with sand.

Door swings on rusty hinges,
spilling a fingernail scratch of sky.
I have something more to say
before it slams shut.

Terry’s collection of poetry, The Poet’s Garage, was published by Unsolicited Press in May 2020. His poems and stories have recently appeared in Typishly, The Mantle, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Front Porch Review, Jersey Devil Press, The Lake and other publications. Lucky Ride (Unsolicited Press), an irreverent Vietnam-era road novel, is set to release in 2021. His website is terrytierney.com