Upon a Storm
by Grace E. Clifton
When the day grows dark and clouds
roll in
With lightning that strikes the
ground,
And shadows grow thick as the storms
begin,
So that nowhere can light be found,
You spend hours waiting in a
darkened room
With doors and windows locked -
Alone, and trapped in your despairing
tomb
With no one to hear you talk.
Such howling winds fume above your
head
With rain that screams at every side;
You huddle, shoulders shaking, upon
the bed,
Stained in all the wet tears
you've cried.
Then fear taps at the covered
windowpane
And panic claws at the sealed door;
They beg for an innocent life to
claim,
And to take what's left to live
for.
A candle stands with a flicker of
hope
And your eyes never break away -
Holding onto it for guidance to
help cope
With the perpetual night of day.
The storm still rages - the
candlelight fades –
Panic is now stepping through the
door;
Fear is ready to pierce your heart
like a blade
As the light is suddenly no more
With frantic desperation you raise
your face
And (though no one is there to hear)
You call to the stars for a
simple embrace
And protection from your fears.
Light suddenly breaks through the violent
storm
And denounces its right to stay;
Fear and panic flees you, their
power scorned,
And the darkness quickly goes away.
A knock at the door lifts you
from the bed
And through the lighted room to
respond;
A man stands on the other side, and
says,
With gentle eyes so fond:
"I've been waiting here all this while,
But you never asked for my love or
care.
I longed to come comfort you and
make you smile
But you locked the door and hid in
disrepair.
Do you not know that the
storms can never last?
Do you not remember that the sun
always shines?
It endures even while your faith
may be overcast
Or fear has made you blind.
The light is always there,
you must only believe;
All you are to do is look and make
a sound.
You will find that there is never a reason to
grieve,
But instead to rejoice, for you are
found."
He then opens his arms to embrace
me
And softly leads me from the room.
He takes me outside so that I can
see
That the storm brought every flower
into bloom.