Poetry for Students, Volume 35

It becomes clear in the ensuing lines that the
subject is a tornado: It releases clouds, either in
the sky or clouds of stirred-up dust; it makes a
powerful sound like the roar of an oncoming
tornado; and it has the power to knock rivers
over their banks. Its power is so great, in fact,
that it can spin boulders so that they appear to be
running away and trying to hide. Readers can
take these descriptions to be symbolic of the
power of the woman being described, but it is
clear that they all can used as descriptions of a
tornado as well.

Stanza 3
In the middle of the poem, Mora describes the
tornado in its full force, becoming dangerous. In
lines 11 and 12, people are frightened of it: In
particular, pale women run inside and secure the
doors and windows. While this might seem to a
prudent action to take against a tornado, it also
plays on the description of a woman that begins
the poem. The women are turning pale and run-
ning indoors to lock themselves away from the
woman who threatens them. The final line of this
stanza continues to describe the subject as both
female and a tornado. The tornado spins tum-
bleweeds like a woman spins her skirt by moving
quickly.

Stanza 4

The fourth stanza keeps the focus on the fright-

ened pale women who are mentioned in stanza 3.

The women try to comfort their children while

the tornado unleashes its power outside. The

lullabies are like lace, delicate and fragile, no

match for the driving force and sound of the

tornado. The women hope that their lullabies

will obscure the roar of a tornado.

Line 17 personifies the tornado again, indi-

cating that the loud sound of rushing air is

actually the wind coming through her lips. The

wind, so powerful that it strips trees and even

bones bare, is said to come from within this

person as she uncoils, releasing wound-up ten-

sion. Instead of seeing the tornado as entirely

wind, the imagery that Mora uses likens it to a

great force that is inside of a person.

Stanza 5

The last stanza is the shortest one of the poem,

covering the relatively quick return to calm that

occurs after a tornado moves away. The tornado

is spent, and, in the poem’s extended metaphor,

the person who is the tornado is exhausted and

falls asleep. The wind still blows the sand around

after the woman is sleeping, causing sand to pelt

her skin. The final line connects the blowing

sand and the stars above. This view of the open

sky reminds readers of the grand scale of a

weather event of this suddenness and power. It

also evokes the nighttime image of a woman

peacefully falling asleep, and it helps to restore

the feeling of calm, since the stars would only be

visible after the tornado has past.

Themes

Nature

The tornado Mora describes in this poem follows

a predictable pattern. At first its sound is barely

noticeable. Soon, dark clouds arise and the wind

picks up, stirring rivers. Large stones are tossed

about. At the height of the storm, gusts kick up

and the wind roars. Then the excitement dies

down and calm is restored. The sky is clear again.

All of this activity occurs in nature in the

absence of emotion. Extreme weather is often

used to represent emotional upheaval, but nature

itself does not have emotions. A tornado might

resemble the rampage of an angry person, but

its actions are actually just the combination of

MEDIA

ADAPTATIONS

 Mora reads her poetry on the audio cassette

recording of the programPat Mora, origi-

nally broadcast as part of the New Letters

On the Air series, released in 1990.

 A 1996 profile of Pat Mora is available on the

Scholastic videocassettePat Mora: Author,

produced by Terra Associates.

 Mora maintains an extensive home page

that includes biographical information, her

blog, and information about the literacy

projects she has spearheaded.

Uncoiling