Since I was born

A tornado warning humming thru the hospital 

I’ve always understood that 

Our lives are full of rain 

And instead of sitting at my window 

Pressed against the pane

I chose to play

My mother watched, terrified 

As I danced alongside the lightning 

Knowing I wasn’t afraid to be struck 

Now, I am the one who is petrified 

Though I was never struck by lightning 

The lighting went out 

I’m shaking like a leaf

Constantly reminded that this isn’t life back in 2006 

Where I was blissfully unaware 

Of how tainted the water falling from the sky is

I stopped eating meat and playing in the rain 

I saw the world the way I saw myself

Growing away from the child laughing in the rain 

No shoes or cares about life

Until I learned about ringworms and parasites 

The sun that shone in my eyes has set

And hasn’t risen again,

Though some claim to glimpse the rays

All they know is, there’s a spark 

But today, reading about the wombs of the ocean and white stone mountains 

I looked into a mirror and witnessed Dawn 

The slivers of sunshine poking through to remind me that

There are people like me 

Who can dance with lightning 

And wield knowledge like thunder