I love thunderstorms specifically the feeling they give me
It may not be the icebreaker most hope to use but the
Smell of a storm is like dipping your feet in the pool
During a scorching summer that burns the soles of your feet
Old ladies typically sense the storms in their kneecaps
And the radar of old men is located in their elbows
But mine is in the gust of wind when I step outside
My chest becomes tight with excitement on the edge of its seat
Tip of my nose tingles as if I drank a cup of Sprite
My lungs open and breathe more clearly than ever before
Then there’s the tired grumbles from the clouds as they wake up
I know the sky’s voice like I know my family’s
Another gust rolls in like a dust storm on a small town
The air is humid as a big bear hug from an older brother
Thunderstorms have always been my unknown other brother
Droplets of rain are mothers who try to usher me inside
But they cannot stop me from talking to my grumbling brother
I ask him how he has been and where he plans to go next
With a final reminder to come back sooner because I miss him

When I was younger I had a habit of being afraid of thunderstorms and lightning
One afternoon my family was driving during a thunderstorm and my brother sat next to me
He told me how I had no reason to be afraid of the storm, the thunder, and the lightning
While he explained this to me puzzle pieces in my mind came together and made sense
I wasn’t afraid of these ravenous storms because I had my older brother to keep me safe
Over time my brother became the fierce thunderstorms that protect me from harm