Waiting for the Call

Took a walk downtown last night.
The sun was low on the horizon, it was warm, everything was rosy:



I was waiting for a call from St. Croix but the phones there were down.
There wasn't anything I could do about it.
I stopped in at Sparky’s diner.
There weren’t a lot of people there.
I ate alone.



The hurricane's wind and rain had knocked out all power on the island.
The weather in my town was well-behaved by comparison.
Not many people on the riverfront.



Even the Giddings gazebo looked more forlorn than usual.
It was as if it had suffered through a storm.



There was a crowd at the the theater.
It was waiting too, waiting for Patsy Cline.
I don’t think she’s coming.



The next morning there was a message on the machine.
They had ridden out Maria.
Heavy damage everywhere, but everyone was alright.