When a Hurricane Hovers

Is it the time of year when we have weather on the brain?  My friend has written a poetic and gorgeous meditation on monsoons, along with her observations that mangoes and watermelons and carrots taste different here.  She's from India, so now I'm curious about how those fruits taste on the other side of the planet.  She's got a poem in this post, with beautiful references to all the senses.  Highly recommended.

Meanwhile, back on this side of the planet, I cannot get Hurricane Irene off the brain.  Even yesterday, when it was far too early to be thinking about it, I kept toggling back and forth between various weather sites.  Yes, I know that the National Hurricane Center only revises storm paths and risks and such with the 11:00 report and the 5:00 report, so no need to keep going back to the NOAA site every 15 minutes.

If I had been home, I'd have probably started baking--one of my classic responses to stress, but not great for the waistline if we have a busy storm season.  Since I was at work, I reorganized shelves and reshelved volumes of poetry.

I wish I could say that I actually worked on new poems or revamped manuscripts or even sent out a packet of poems or two or three.  I did not.  Maybe today, unless the storm shifts again, and we're back in the center of the cone.

I know the water between here and the hurricane is very warm--hot in fact.  Last week, we swam in 90 degree water.  That's hurricane fuel.

It's a fairly big storm, so we'll likely feel some effects as Irene goes by.  Here's my prayer:  Please let us keep power.

What I would love:  weather severe enough that school is cancelled and there's no thought of going out to exercise or run errands.  The power stays on, so we can cook and watch movies.  It's dark and stormy, but not scary, so naps will not be out of the question.  There's time to read, time to write, time to think about Fall submissions.  We can shake our heads at the fact that Fall is upon us, even though we'll have steamy, Summer weather for at least two more months.

Dare I hope for a slow moving storm so that we can have 2 hurricane days?  Slow moving, but ultimately non-destructive . . . and while I'm wishing for ways to affect the weather, let the hurricane curve back out to sea after it's given me two days off!