Derecho Ghazal

And the high winds bore down, and the sky built up that grey wall:derecho. The taverns by the sea closed their shutters, and the stands selling battered fries,derecho. On the boardwalk, pieces of salt-water taffy, half- eaten funnel cakes oozing grease and cream:derecho. And the people on every highway, panicked, sought a clear route for their exodus:derecho. What’s in your emergency backpack? Beef jerky, mineral water, flashlight, solar cells? Snap in the sound of derecho. Yesterday, white and blue sails pretty on the water; sharp glint of skyscraper glass. Then this derecho.