The grain in a silo must be watched carefully
in the summertime.
The dust and mounting heat that swirl inside
are like a powder keg
with a burning wick drawing nearer,
ready to explode
at any minute.
The corrugated steel silo is
transformed into shrapnel
when the heat becomes too much
and the grain explodes.

I first witnessed this effect
at age four
sitting on my parents’ bed,
watching my mother pack.