It’s Coming
Driving across town with the Captain,
through the burgeoning streets. No metaphor.
“This is your captain speaking,” he reassures,
as he directs impinging vehicles and street-crossers.
“Look at the crazies racing ahead,” he says,
As he raps the steering wheel and laughs,
“And we’ll all arrive at the stoplight at the same time,
damn fools,” as we coast to a stop at the light.
In the parking lot with her cart, the
brown-skinned grandmother greets us with a smile
as we pass, opening her trunk to reveal old boots,
sweaters, junk, trash, and “in” go her groceries
“It’s coming,” she says. “The cards have told me,
It’s coming,” pointing at the sky, dark clouds
everywhere. “Hurricanes, tornados, floods,
melting ice, landslides, global warming.”
“Scary” I say.
“Don’t be scared! Be prepared!” Her finger points
into the trunk. More shoppers throng to listen,
and he and I trot into Traders.
Driving home we follow an Amazon truck
Providing us with instructions.
That thing you wanted? It’s right HERE!
Arrow pointing down at the road.
The truck disappears as rain pours down.
Water rises outside the car doors,
The car begins to float. I am hoping I brought
my waders, as I watch, eyes wide open….
Last week, a golden orb weaver
unreasonably spun its web from my roof
to the azaleas…. This morning I saw it
hanging lifeless there. I cried.
Susan Ward Mickelberry is a writer, editor, poet, and long-time yoga teacher. Her poetry collection And Blackberries Grew Wild was published by Roadside Press in 2024. Awards include a 2024 Pushcart nomination. Poems appear in many publications including This is Poetry: Volume IV: Poets of the South. She also participates in regional poetry readings and events, including Civic Media Center’s Poetry Jam. Her most recent reading was at the Lynx Bookstore in Gainesville. She is 2025 Formal Poetry Editor for Bacopa Literary Journal and earned an MA English Literature from the University of Florida.
