Emergency Drill

The alarm blares

announcing our schoolwide tornado drill.

Obedient hostages, we shuffle out of classrooms

line up against both sides of the hall

turn to face the wall and sit down.

*ungh* My Jordache Look slices

deep into my stomach. *pant pant*

The right back pocket of a pair Jordache jeans. ‘The Jordache Look’ is written vertically beside the hip, in bolded and all-capitalized letters.

We are to

place our hands on the backs of our heads

lean foreheads against the wall.

But I can barely make my jean-bound legs

criss-cross applesauce.

No way can I fold in half.

“Be sure to open your mouths wide

to balance the pressure in your ears,”

the teachers say.

We laugh because

everybody knows.

Ears pop, pop, popping

would be the least of our worries

if this mythical twister

ripped through our school.

This torturous practicing is pointless.

What can we do

to prevent tornado season

but pray we aren’t all

blown away?