yes, this is what we tell our children, whilst these movies play in our heads. spun well, bruce. an enjoyable read. as an aside, i was 8 when we moved to ohio during tornado season! i also remember my mother picking me up from school the day before my bat-mitzvah to get my hair done. i literally had to be called from underneath the stage because we were sheltering from a tornado that had been spotted in the next county. guess my mom wasn't afraid of tornadoes, and i am way more vain than i realized.

Hi Bruce, Good one. Hopes it helps your little boy to be calme. I've never seen one, but I've heard one years ago. And seen the damage they can do. That was enough for me. They surley are powerful. They have hit here in Tn alot in some areas. It's surely not a good feeling. I keep praying, specailly when it comes a storm, etc.

Amen brother Bruce. Yeah, that tornado in The Wizard of Oz scared the beejees out of me, although as a child, big unleashed dogs frightened me much much more.

when we had the terrible one in Manitob a few years ago in cottage country, I wrote a poem about it soon afterward. When the scientist David Susuki of Canada predicted the world ending by morning one day, most of the children including mine were sure it was their last night on earth and I reassured mine, as I didn't believe it, and was rather annoyed at the prediction announced in schools. But you're right, we can never promise with full surety their safety from freak disasters, but we don't want to live in constant fear either or see them that way... important message here.

I absolutely love the title and can almost see that "finger of God...stirring the insides" - what an image! The progression of thought is so natural here as well: father observes his son - son questions his fears - father answers reassuringly - father silently questions his answer reminded of his own fears - and finally, father sinks back into his role as the reassuring parent despite those reminders. The anxiety is so well pronounced, “tornado…in my nightmares…snaking down from heaven…tossing cars…like beer cans” – to me this reveals the fragile inner ‘child’ of the father trying to reassure his son. Of course this poem is not simply about fearing tornadoes but about being a parent in the wake of ironies such as this, “as a kid, I feared them too…no, your first communion will be fine, I say.” But the beauty of the poem is not truly revealed until the last line that introduces the speaker’s faith despite the fleeting reminder of God’s finger “driving a crucifix into a tree” – and so the father’s reassurance to his son has a renewed merit held up by FAITH instead of FEAR…as when earlier father questions the ‘validity’ of his ‘forecast’ for “what right do I have to make such a prediction [when] there’s nothing to stop disaster…on any day” – and now, reassured, father gives an answer to his son with more confidence and less hesitation. Well, that's what I saw anyway. Great poem, I really enjoyed it. :-)

Interesting read and take on fear,faith and fatherhood. As somone who has lived in "tornado alley" all my life we learned to respect the danger and take precaution when needed. But you still have to acknowledge the power of God in all situations and have faith that he will be with you no matter what happens.