Freight trains roar over the trailer roof. 
The light above the stove went out. 
Terrified, I huddled under covers, 
my little sister asleep beside me. 

Without seeing her or hearing her voice, 
I felt my mom’s presence in the dark 
as she rifled through my messy dresser 
where I kept the small yellow flashlight. 

I wonder if she felt my presence 
as I tidied the tray beside the bed, 
rearranged the unread newspapers, 
hospice brochures, her notebook, and pen. 

How scared she must have been. 
A single mom out in the country, 
alone in the trailer with her two girls. 
Searching for a light in the storm.