I was where it seems most of my dreams have been taking place recently; the house I grew up in. I didn’t live there anymore; it was quite dilapidated; rather on a return visit to grab the last of my stuff before abandoning it for good. Most of that stuff was in my main room; the front upstairs bedroom I never kept a bed in. It was my hangout room where I’d listen to music and make music with my friends.

According to the news, there was a tornado coming; I remember seeing huge dark clouds out the window; and I was concerned the house wouldn’t withstand the hit. I don’t know why I didn’t leave. It didn’t seem too late to outdrive the storm; there were plenty of cars on the street turned six-lane highway; but it seemed I was stuck, perhaps having to rely on a ride because I didn’t have a car.

I sort of wanted to stay anyway to grab my stuff before the tornado could or at least be around to salvage it from the streets. The problem was that, in this dream, that whole aforementioned room, where most of my stuff was, stuck out like a balcony and was dangerously close to collapsing. I remember thinking, as it rocked and creaked, that I’d probably survive the fall, but I didn’t want to get hurt.

It was a matter of going in, grabbing stuff and going back into the center living room before it could fall, which I did until it fell. “Oh shit”, I uttered as the floor gave in. It happened just as I was about to step on it, giving me just enough time to step back, but the room didn’t totally collapse like I thought it would. It sort of toppled over with the floor still connected but hanging down at about a 90-degree angle.

It was a close call indeed; I could’ve been seriously injured; but relief was fleeting. I was now concerned because my stuff; an assortment of mostly small items I wanted to move to my new place; now lay scattered across the front porch and yard amidst a mess of glass, wood, brick, cement and other building materials. Driving by, as people still were, you’d think the tornado had already been through.

2026 May 09