Storm

When the wind abates
Earth her claw relents
From pounding gusts 
That tear 
Wreck and havoc make 
Of plants torn from their roots
flattened 
Cast adrift 
Stricken vessels in the night
A spun whirlpool of debris flung  
Of shredded  leaves and twigs
And grasses arched  like waves
Fall limp in strands  
And spent;

Listen to the noise 
Feel the shifting sands
The pounding starts again 
Creaking corners of the house
The trembling of the frames
Flickering distant lights
The night is long- awake.