In The Eye

Posted byChristine BoltonPosted inBlog, NatureTags:, , , , , , ,

I have been a little quiet this week. Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday evening in the small Florida City of Sarasota where I live. It was devastating for many living directly on the water and I was lucky to just lose power. My home was safe and no damage other than to trees and plants. Many people and businesses are affected and it will take a while to get us all up and running again. Climate change is very real. Don’t deny it. To have a hurricane this late in the season is unprecedented. This came on the heels of Hurricane Helene one week earlier and Tropiccal Storm Debby that dropped so much rainfall that Sarasota was under water for weeks. My son’s house in still uninhabitable while he waits for repairs. It could take some time while everyone recovers from the triple whammy of monster storms.

Anyway Milton was a first for me where I was actually in The Eye. I have lived in Florida for 24 years and have been affected by many hurricanes in that time but this was the first direct hit on Sarasota and I got to experience that incredible moment of stillness in something so devastating. It fools you and you think the storm is over, but it isn’t. It comes back even more furious than before.

In The Eye


The wait was long and felt endless
I didn’t want you to come
But you did anyway
I felt your presence
long before your arrival
It was a foreboding
There was no choice but to wait
I didn’t know who you would choose
And prayed that it would not be me
With the uncertainty came anguish
and with anguish came despair
As the day dragged on and nerves
were stretched to sinuous limits,
without warning all power was taken
and I was at your mercy
Your size and wrath were unmatched
As you spewed your anger with abandon
Tearing down and hurling everything
In your path
My cries unheard
until that moment of stillness
and hush laid upon the land
It was surreal and silent
Peaceful
Your outrage now a bad memory
Leaving me in peaceful sublimation
But wait, it is not so
I know you too well 
You are the same bearing another’s name
I was in the vacuum of your eye
Floating in the tranquility and relief
After your angry journey through my life
But you had not finished with me
You were still turning
Faster and faster and just when
Another might think you had gone
You became angrier still
And let me know one more time
That you are one vicious bastard, Milton

Copyright © 2024 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing
All Rights Reserved

Sanaa is hosting Open link at D’Verse Poets

Published by Christine Bolton

I have been writing poetry since I was a child and it has helped in the good times and bad times. I am always looking within to find the answers to life's problems and to write thought-provoking poetry and prose. Thanks for checking it out. Christine

30 thoughts on “In The Eye”

  1. I’m so glad you are safe after the storms. It’s hard to imagine how much the devastation is when we’re not right there in it, I’m sure. So sorry for all those who lost their lives and homes. ❤

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Thanks Barbara. The amazing thing is it was the tornadoes that strung up around Milton that killed the people in Florida. We have warning when a hurricane is coming so we stay inside. Tornadoes just pop up as you probably know from living in in Texas. They take people by surprise.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Most definitely about the tornadoes touching down with barely any warning. I do know how bad it can be, since I was in the F5 tornado in our town in 1970, and then when we were in Japan we were hit with a Cat 5 Typhoon, where the eye passed right over us. Knock wood there will be no more bad storms this season.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. I am glad you are safe, Christine.  The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season runs through November.  Meteorologists are monitoring a gyre (large system of circulating ocean surface currents) that could strengthen into a stronger storm in the Western Caribbean by the end of next week maybe hitting Florida again sometime around October 17 to 19.  My neighbor lost a bunch of tiles off her roof and a lot of tree branches came down.  My power went off 5 times that night, but luckily it cam right back on again.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank goodness you’re ok Jim. I can’t believe it landed here! We have always been lucky with those Indian Blessings. Climate change took care of that. It’s funny, the moment I posted the poem I got the power back jn my home. I was so happy. I really don’t care for the primitive life unless I am literally sleeping under the stars camping. It sucks being without tv, air conditioning, hot water, kitchen appliances and internet! But I am so grateful my home is good and my family is safe. You too my friend. Yes we have until Nov 30 but I don’t remember any hurricanes in Oct or Nov in the past. Never say never.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Nancy thank you so much. I just noticed the poem was a bit garbled. My power was out and it came back on while I was trying to post it using my iphone. Milton must have heard me calling him names and apologized by putting power back! LOL. I am sorry I did not see your email. Without power communication was difficult. Couldn’t keep charging up the phone and ipad. So many businesses were also out of power there was nowhere to go. Anyway I am not complaining. At least I had a roof over my head. Others were not so lucky 😢

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Please, no worries, Christine, and definitely no explanations necessary. I’m just glad you are ok! We’ve been watching the news up here in NY; it’s beyond difficult for us to comprehend such damage and the number of deaths. We’ve had a couple of hurricanes that I can recall and some flooding from nor’easters but nothing anywhere near the scope of destruction and devastation in Florida. It’s dreadful, so many people displaced and hurting right now.

        Thanks for reaching out. Stay safe! 🫶🏼

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Sadje. It was a scary one. It was funny. The moment I finished the poem my power came back on. It garbled wht I was writing and I have only just noticed it. I edited the poem and it looks right now! ☺️💕

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Yes isaw in YouTube, so horrible situation to view and I prayed for there people , such a roaring sea and monsters waves and the strong wind
    first time watching my life , now all peaceful ok I think 🧐 sure few months
    take time everything get to normal 💖🙏 thank you for sharing dear friend 👏

    Liked by 1 person

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