Tropical Storm Hannah

The sky fizzed with Tropical Storm Hannah
Rain, I said, I told it to rain rain rain
I am from BC and, I think,
The water helped me to grow, not that I’m that big,

I need swollen creek beds and damp earth
For my roots.
And when it stops I need mist over mountainsides
Sticks crunching underfoot, and dark green overhang
To move around in. Or I used to.

I went for a run in the East River Park
To be healthy
But also to see what it would be like in a tropical storm -
It came down harder than I’ve ever seen
No joke. The hardest ever.

I splashed through knee deep puddles
Wearing no socks, water soaking into my eardrums,
I could hear it. It felt like being in a plane.
When you start descending and your ears won’t pop.
Awful feeling, - my hands were pruned up.

After fifteen minutes, I wished I had not come
But I was far away from my apartment. I cowered
Under an overpass, alone, and cold.
For a while. But it wouldn’t let up.

Then another jogger jogged by me and back out
Into the rain, and I knew he was right.

So I pretended that I was training for the Olympics.