the kansas inside the all of us in poetry

the tornado isn’t you but it is a part of you
the tornado inside you can drive you forward, yes, but
the tornado can also rip you apart from your heart on out
rend you from your deepest depths then ending with your flesh
the tornado inside you can do either and, indeed, can do both
the tornado roiling inside you isn’t your friend but
the tornado isn’t something you can exorcise either
the tornado is a part of you and always will be
negotiate with the tornado the best that you can
so you can use it without getting used up by it
so you can occasionally get a little bit of peace
in the tiny calm of the tornado’s terrifying eye
the tornado is a part of you but it isn’t you
and inside some emerald city fair
a dorothy dreams of wichita there
of before her tornado came to bear
the tornado isn’t you but it is a part of you
the storm is always coming and is always here
you can’t stop the tornado but
you also can’t just give in
you just have to persevere