BOOM!!
You know what it is.
You’ve heard it before.

It’s lake ice
cracking,
contracting,
expanding,
shoving
and shelving.

Never that loud.
Never rattling the windows.
Never shaking the house
and your chair.
Never that violent.
Nature at her best.
Coolest.

BOOM!
You run outside,
look up,
making certain
it’s not a cold war
jet,
no “bombs bursting
in air”,
BOOM!

You walk over
next door,
look inside,
talk to the construction guys,
making sure
they didn’t blow up.

The BOOM!crashrattleshake
you heard
is what you thought.
You’re part
of the freezin’
season.

But even though
you know,
the BOOM!
still surprised
and scared you.

Just for a moment.
Just a little.

Your heart beats fast,
BOOM!,
boom,
boom,
until you learn
for certain,
it’s just Mother Nature
playing percussion.

Cool.
Real cool.