In the southern US we are waiting on a weekend storm. Who knows what will happen? Could be a big nothing. Could be 20 inches and we will be down for a week or more.


Ready or Not

Oh, the irrepressible anxiety
that arises when snow
becomes a possibility,
even days away.

We Southerners panic!
However shall we survive
with power outages looming
and milk and bread in short supply?

I don’t even drink milk.
Why would I buy it now?

Give me a case of beer,
some Hot Hands, and
a jar of peanut butter -
the holy trinity for my survival.

Oh, and a way to charge my phone.
Goodness, that’s the real peril -
to be totally disconnected.
What if I freeze to death - offline?

And so we wait…

If the snow comes, it comes.
If it doesn’t, we curse the meteorologists
while denying we ever fell for it.
The line at Food Lion
proves otherwise.

But if it comes,
we will text while we can,
check in on our friends,
and remember that spring
is but a month or so away.

Disconnected from the noise,
we might even remember
how to sit still,
how to wait,
how to be content
within the storm
that is not weather-related.

Severe weather teaches us nothing
we don’t already know.
The sun will rise again,
and we will still be here,
waiting on the other side
ready to keep moving…
onward.



Poetry by Melinda K Zarate The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 22 times
Written on 2026-01-21 at 20:39

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Griffonner The PoetBay support member heart!
I shall have you all, Southerners, Midwesterners et al, in my thoughts. Let us hope it all blows over nicely. You tell a story that could well be of many places in this present day World. Luckily I am 200M above sea level, else with the rain we've been having I'd be flooded like many at lower levels. Blessings to you and yours, Allen
2026-01-22


Ray Miller
Enjoyed the read. Hot Hands are hand warmers?
What if I freeze to death - offline? - the great anxiety of the age, I suppose.
2026-01-22


jim The PoetBay support member heart!
We're expecting the same storm in the midwest, and I'm feeling the same anxiety, though I've lived through a lifetime of these storms—and here I am.

Once more into the breach.
2026-01-22