Cyclone Larry

CYCLONE ‘LARRY’ Its often called idyllic Our northern tropic coast And for those who live along it The place they cherish most But none should be complacent Where summer storms abound And most have made their selves prepared Lest one should come around. For every year the cyclones Are spawned far out to sea And many tales there have been told Of force one and two and three But never in the annals Of any man that’s still alive Was ever faced the awesome threat Of category five.	2. It was late into the season In March of this same year When a cyclone they named ‘Larry’ (At first, nothing much to fear) Slowly gained momentum, None knew what was in store For instead of roaming safe at sea It tracked steady for the shore. Westward, an unerring course That was the ominous sign And up and down our tropic coast All prayed the sun would shine. For several days, its grim intent Maintained a western drive Force three to four, when at our door Dear Lord! - was rated five. In the townships and the homesteads Through the afternoon and night Folk took final measures Hoped all was battened tight. Through the first hours of morning Not many of them slept And even the faint hearted Were forgiven when they wept.	3. N o break of dawn that morning The sky purple, green and black With jagged spurs of lightning And the wind came at its back. A howling, growling buttress Funnelled down the streets And the rain in driven torrents Fell in horizontal sheets. The wind a constant howling In demented frenzy grew With the sound of rending metal As airborne objects flew. So many now lamented How soon before it pass While the noise grew ever louder With the sound of shattered glass When the wind at first abated Most knew t’was not the last As the eerie calm misstated That the worst indeed had passed. For the ‘Eye’ that was upon them Left all as one, forlorn As much to say, they all were trapped In the middle of the storm.

4. The few who braved the open Retreated now in dread As the wind reversed its motion With the force of falling lead. No words there are that can describe That giant turbine wail As the composite detritus Was ground within its tail. The people stared in horror As the wind now reached a peak All cowered in sheltered corners Nor anyone could speak. Nerves stretched to the limit As roofs were swept away And the very walls imploded Some feared a judgement day. Without a let or hindrance The tempest raged untamed And left no means of comfort For the young, the old and lamed. Little children whimpered No shame in this - no shame For hundreds all around them Were fearful just the same.	5. Though shattered, their conviction That such things will surely pass The flying debris all around them Finally settled on the grass. In trembling trepidation They ventured out to clearing skies What utter desolation - God! Right there before their eyes. They little saw, what was before No building left unscathed And from the twisted, tangled wreck Very little could be saved. We should give pause, to ponder though When counting of the cost In spite of such destruction How no single life was lost. With all human life accounted Spare a thought, at least By turning your attention From man to bird and beast. From every forest tree you’ll see Both leaf and limb was stripped And others tall, with roots and all From the very earth were ripped.	6. Nature will recover, The scars will all soon fade Again we all may cherish Both beach and forest glade But remember well this missive And pray you’ll never see Such awesome force as ‘Larry’ Come storming from the sea. Rodd Sherwin ©
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