tornado watch

her friend called
"there's a level 3 tornado watch"
they didn't want
to drift into the dreamland

"it's not even raining"
i said
"tornado's don't just pop out of nowhere"
their eyes smiled,
understanding

the upstairs two
nodded
after i said
their evening prayers:
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John  (how many times have they asked me who these men were?)
Bless this bed you lay upon
Four posts upon your bed
Two angels overhead
Two to watch
And two to pray
And two to guide you
Night and Day
Amen

with white light
guarding the house

while the oldest
brain-glued her eyes to
the weather channel
telling me she was hungry

then, of all times
i dumped an entire bowl of
Kellogg flakes with sweets
over the kitchen floor

the dog quickly
ate the bits of floating
chocolate left on the floor
milk seeping into the
old wood cracks

sure some other force
knocked the bowl out of my hand
i felt unaffected
cleaning up cereal at
9pm
getting her another bowl without reflex

"see they're below us,
we're here," i spoke
walking into the front flower pot room
touching the t.v. screen

"ya, they're alot further down now"
she relaxed into her triangle stretch

"bedtime"