When the Tornadoes Came: poem by Mark James Trisko

tornado damage, image by Jan Mallander, on Pixabay, modified

When the Tornadoes Came

Where was God when the tornadoes came?

Was he in the cellar beside them as they hunkered down in fear,

or outside with his face turned towards the sky?

Was he in the wind that pulled the oak tree out of the ground,

or in the eye of the tornado as it tore through the town?

Was he with the man whose trailer house

rose high into the air and blew away,

while he stood watching helplessly from his neighbor’s home?

Was he in the hands of the young man

who grabbed the hood of his wife’s sweatshirt and pulled her back inside

just as the wind tore at her legs and tried to suck her away?

Was he with the people as they picked through their scattered belongings

looking for their scrapbooks and their pictures and their Bible?

Was he at the hospital treating the injured victims and their friends,

or just watching from the wings, waiting to hear their confessions?

Was he in the words of the minister consoling his congregation

in the torn-up parking lot of his destroyed church?

The minister, who looked towards the heavens

and said with acceptance and exultation,

“All the damage we count as joy,

because God helped our people to survive.

All the violence, all the sadness, all the destruction we count as joy,

because we are the children of God.”

Thank you, God, for speaking through the lips of your disciple.

He has shown me the meaning of hope and trust and faith,

that I should celebrate life and the goodness of God,

that I should count my blessings even in the face of senseless devastation,

instead of lamenting over the things I have lost.

I am questioning, but humble. I will rebuild my faith as they rebuild their town.

___________________________

Mark James Trisko has been writing poetry for a very long time, but after retiring recently, he “heard his muses” yelling loudly in the night begging him to let their voices be heard. His work is scheduled to appear in Valiant Scribe Literary Journal, Spirit Fire Review, and Amethyst Review. He currently lives in Minnesota, with his beautiful spouse of 47 years, four wonderful children, and eight above-normal grandchildren.

July 2024 issue