The Hidden Tornado

By: Briana Wasil

I found a tornado hidden among the wildflower crowds

It was nothing like you imagined,

A wildness that was bound.

She was hidden away

Like a treasure chest with a missing key

Destined to be opened by the right person

But not needing their stamp of authenticity.

She was content within herself

And had learned to be alone

The strength within her survival

Were her very own milestones.

Although that tornado was built upon wind gusts

That had learned to travel at intense speeds,

Letting anything ricochet

That could reverse her layers of security;

If you dared to enter, and jump in the formidable wind

You’d discover all the power that was held deep within.

How her mind was like a maze

Of all her thoughts and dreams

An author trying to write down

Everything before it leaves.

Stories she collected from every person she’d ever meet

Stored on shelves that were the essence of her heartbeat.

How you would never notice her,

If you were to pass by on the street

Just as you couldn’t know her,

Without taking the first step, to speak.