And in my version of the
story, the hurricane actually
does make landfall; wobbling a bit in the Atlantic, she gains a little earnest vigor and the ole
girl absolutely
starches the
coastline.
And it’s the whole thing:
sticky shingles are peeled off one-by-one from rooftops while wires from
electrical poles hiss and jump and contort and purge
white lightning, the reporting
weatherman, wetter than
he’s ever been before, stands
at an angle (trying to fight
against the gusts), someone’s
cat gets sucked into the air
by an updraft – you’ve seen
the movies.
And I live.
But my home is destroyed and in an interview for national
news I say something inspirational like, “the storm may have taken my house, but never our community” or some other
bullshit like that. Someone
posts about my quote online –
shares a soundbite, shares a video –
suddenly I’m famous, suddenly people are praying for me and my family, donating to the red cross because of me.
And for only a moment
I am erected in stone –
never dead, never dying –
my immortality lies in my most sincere
words. I do not
go the way of the
common world.
Jacob Yankey is a senior from Wilmington, N.C. majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Creative Writing with a focus in poetry. Following graduation, he would like to get into professional beekeeping, attend graduate school, or become a trophy husband.