Voices from my City

A Father

Man on that day it was regular, yeah everything was cool
I woke up that morning and took the kids to school
but I had to turn right back around and go get them.
Was I scared? You better believe I was scared
I’ve never seen clouds like the ones I’ve seen.
I just wanted to protect my kids like a man’s supposed to do.
Kinda hard when after the storm, there is a rubble, no car and screaming kids...
and all eyes are on you.

A Passerby

I’m from Oklahoma!
We have tornadoes but nothing like this.
Houses lifted from foundations and with careful observation you wonder just how did people survive.
I went to Georgia with my girl and we passed through,
she said we had to stop...we just had to.
I saw people trying to pick up their lives,
right before my eyes.
I can’t imagine what they feel inside.
All this destruction happened in just one day...leaves me speechless with nothing to say.

A Mother

I am a mother, a mother of five.
I was already struggling, but now I just feel empty on the inside.
Dang, I never thought Pratt City would be such a tourist attraction.
78 Highway never got so much bystander action.
People come and they are in awe at this sight.
Even babies come take a look and say mommie this don’t look right.
One said, “Mommie, where are these people gonna sleep at night?”

I’m a victim, but I’m not in my grave,
see it’s for times like these it’s my faith I save.
I know its not me who will make a way outta no way.
I don’t want these kids to hang their heads when they walk away.
I want them to know the people here in Pratt City have no choice but to be ok.
It’s all we know.

An Intern

I was interning.
I wouldn’t have known it was bad weather coming if I didn’t work at the news.
I can recall watching the big screens and seeing the headline “Five dead in Cullman due to tornadoes” I just knew destruction couldn’t happen to me.
I guess with things like this you pretend there is one big security cloud over every area of life that involves you.
But, in this case it just wasn’t true.
When I went to my dorm, something just didn’t feel right.
I texted my mom when I knew this was real, telling her to pray because this fear was surreal.
The storm hit and I can recall calling my mom and hearing her cries.
The only words she spoke was “It hit the house” and the network failing was the worst feeling I’ve ever had in my life.
Then an angel appeared.
Not many people can say they have stared God in the face, but he came to erase all my fears.
A random student prayed with me that my mom was ok,
he prayed God would wrap his long arm of protection around her to ensure she would still be here with me.
Then the phone rang. It was my mom.
The storm hit me from two different directions, I knew I had to minister to others my blessing.
I lost my house at home and a friend at school.
IT stole my regular life, but it gave me a story to tell.

Even months later these people are not forgotten,
that man wanted to protect his kids.
That traveler wanted to just be a friend.
That mother knew that it was not the end.
And that girl....that girl had faith you see...I know for a fact because that girl is me.