III

Tornado Watch

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This is a slight misnomer. There is no “watching” of a tornado. In fact, there is no tornado to watch at this category. Category three is established when weather conditions are favorable for the formation of tornadoes: wind speeds are fast enough and proximate enough to start worrying.

 

Category three would be better served by being named as “Tornado Watch-Out,” for it only indicates that environmental conditions have created significant risk for a storm.

 

It is characterized by bursts of frustration. Though unexpected, category three warns us to watch out.

 

This is the lazy day spent by a mother and daughter, crafting a turtle out of green construction paper, scissors, glue sticks, and a black marker.

 

Perhaps the daughter unknowingly provokes her mother.

 

Bits and pieces carefully brought to life are cleanly, surgically ripped down the middle into two pieces; then, down the middle of those two pieces; then, down the middle of the remaining four pieces. At the end of the day, eight green scraps remain in a pile at the base of small feet.