I'm Afraid of Weather by James Navé

Weather sometimes frightens me 
when I'm on the road heading west 
out of Oklahoma City, late afternoon, 
500 miles behind me, the sun easy 
on my face. Weather, harsh weather, 
not in sight, out of mind. Then, the dark 
clouds pop up to the south. Mean creatures 
all black and gray, chewing the blue sky 
like a swarm of ferocious large bees 
God invented just to panic me, to turn 
my drive into a long-range shooting field. 
Then, from the west, more clouds appear.
Where do these clouds come from? 
What happened to my day? What happened 
to my blue sky? Where did the sun go? 
Once these monsters start, they don't stop. 
God knows this; God sends them anyway. 
That's just what God does. Soon, the first drops 
of rain hit. Then bolts of lightning flash 
across the sky. I'm surrounded by black 
and lightning and thunder and ice. 
My heart sweats. My eyes grow thin. 
My hands dangle from my wrists. 
Will there be a funnel? Will it suck me 
out of my car and up into the sky? 
I try to drive on but can't; I can't 
move, the storm has captured me. 
I am still. Rain. Wind. Thunder. 
Lightning. And me on the road, 
stopped, going nowhere.

I'm Afraid Of Weather by James Navé

Provocative Conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio is a podcast devoted to candid, often surprising exchanges with artists, thinkers, and cultural instigators who speak from the core. Each episode dives beneath the surface to explore the stories and questions that shape our lives.

I’m James Navé—poet, storyteller, educator, and longtime creative collaborator. With an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and decades of teaching experience across the globe, I help writers and performers tap into their authentic voices through public speaking, creative writing, and the Imaginative Storm method, which I co-developed with Allegra Huston.

My most recent book, 100 Days: A Poetic Memoir After Cancer (3: A Taos Press), documents a hundred days of healing and poetic reckoning. I’m also co-author of Write What You Don’t Know and How to Read for an Audience—practical guides for anyone seeking to speak and write with more truth and power.

I’ve directed festivals, hosted literary salons, taught with Julia Cameron, and memorized over 600 poems. I still believe in the power of a well-told story, the light through stained glass, and the open road with nothing but a podcast and a windshield full of stars.

I'm Afraid Of Weather by James Navé

Twice Five Miles