Irma was her name,

She was only a depression at first.

Then she grew in size like no other storm before her,

Everyone felt like they were in for the worst.

 

She was supposed to hit my hometown straight on,

Her eye to look straight over my friends and family.

But I was in college 500 miles away,

The anxious thoughts in my mind kept unraveling.

 

My dad called to say they were fleeing town, 

And he wanted me to do the same- just in case;

In case the storm came my way as it was projected to do.

This was a task I never thought I’d have to face.

 

Helpless, scared, yet somehow still composed,

I packed what I needed and drove out of town.

Hotels had special services for the ‘victims’ of the storm,

Massive and mighty, she would surely be renown.

 

Days passed and she ended up being not ‘as bad’, as we presumed,

My loved ones were fine and my heartbeat returned to a healthy pace.

I initially felt like a child running away,

But after debriefing, I realized, this simply wasn’t the case.

 

It was one of the most adult things I had to do-

Pack up at a moment’s notice to escape a possible impending doom.

Not knowing how my family and friends would end up,

While I sat alone and scared in a foreign town and an empty hotel room. 

 

Alas, everything worked out for the best,

We all made it out fine and I went back to school.

If I had to take away at least one lesson from this time, 

It would be to make sure next time I get a hotel with a heated pool!