5. Tornados Sound Like Trains

Tornados Sound Like Trains
Tornados sound like trains
And I live two blocks from the station
My crooked house has a flooded basement
And the road is a river in the rain
Jake rides in on the train and the whole town takes cover
Except for me, caught out walking with my yellow dog, Rover
When the sky goes green and the wind tips my hat under the railroad trestle
The sound of trains overhead thunderous and personal
Tornados sound like trains
And I live two blocks from the station
My crooked house has a flooded basement
And the road is a river in the rain
Jake navigates a sideways storm, with a backpack and a satchel
Meets me underneath the trestle, Rover lifts his hackles
By the time I race for home I’m not alone, the whole world shaking
Walls and windows holding in the storm and Rover pacing
I fall asleep and dream a dream that I can’t sleep
Then I lie awake and watch the answering machine blink off and on
Thinking about a man fishing in the dark on Lake Michigan
He saw lightning in the distance and thought it was a sign
Saw the lights of Gary, and thought it was the dawn
Tornados sound like trains
And I live two blocks from the station
My crooked house has a flooded basement
And the road is a river in the rain