“Ready?” I spoke softly,
my voice echoing and bouncing
around the crowded, empty night.

I stood beside the sun
as the rain came down around us.
He sheltered his arms around me
and wrapped me close in the cold
so I could sense his heat,
his life, his laughter, his love.
He whispered gentle, enchanting words
in my ear, heightening the edge I felt
as the tornado warnings blared.
They were distant, close to home.
I grabbed his hand,
clinging gently to his warmth
and we made a run for it.

I stood beside the sun
as the rain came down around us.
He lingered as I opened my car door
and threw everything inside
to keep it dry
before swaying back to him
and melting into a cool hug.
Droplets of water landed freely
on my forehead, the tip of my nose –
cool spells to balance
the fire of his lips on mine.
“Ready?” he spoke softly,
his voice echoing and bouncing
around the crowded, empty night.
He spun me in and let me go
like a yo-yo on his twisted string.

The sun was shining elsewhere
as the rain came down around me.
My trusty MapQuest directions had
already steered me wrong.
I slowed down as the rain caught up,
triggering a fierce waterfall
on the fragile glass of my windshield.
The noise thundered wildly
in a quiet haze of rhythm.
My perfect vision was blurred
and I struggled to find my way home.
My mind hummed and whined
with ecstatic worry.
“Were you ready?” it spoke softly.
It was the middle of the night
and the dark sky met the dark ground
with no seams to speak of.
I pulled off to the side of the road
and I cried,
desperate for the sun
to shine on me again.