thursday, october 25
when i was young, i read a book
(or maybe had it read to me)
where a tornado struck a small town
and in one scene a character was wearing
a windbreaker
that word, windbreaker, got burned into my memory
right then, along with the vivid idea that
it must mean some kind of potent technology,
protective gear which could shield or
reinforce you against the howling wind of
a tornadic plains thunderstorm
i don't know how old i was before i figured out
that it just meant a kind of light and particularly
ineffective jacket, but it still carries the echo
of my disappointment at how much harder it is
than that to find any real armor against the violence
of the world.