Thunder in the Night

Round and rolling were the barrels

Rolling roundly upon the porch.

It was thunder rolling and crashing

Barrels in the night upon the porch. 

Rolling roundly, crashing against the bannisters,

Waking me, keeping me awake,

These roundly rolling barrels now roll

Around in my mind at night,

At night when the winter rains fall.

The bannisters will hold,

Will hold the roundly rolling barrels

As they roll and roll and crash

Crashing then in the winter night of youth, and

Crashing now in my current mind. 

The porch itself, its boards, its bannisters,

Will hold against this thunder.

Let the barrels roll,

Roundly roll.

--February 7, 2013