Friday 5 September 2008

Poetry Prompt 7: The Hurricane

This is most definitely one of the most appropriate Poetry Prompts I've ever done (check out the website Pen Me A Poem). It's not just about the hurricanes that are occuring on the news, but down here in Brighton as I write this poem, the rain and winds are horrible! So with all that is happening here, here's my submission for this week:

The Storm:

Someone has made the Gods angry;
Lives will be changed in just minutes.
One simple action is all it takes
To destroy in order to create new.
The wind howls and roars
Knocking everything over in its path,
The strongest trees fight with valiance,
But even they can't stay standing for long.

The branches do a different dance
To a different rhythm and tune;
Bending and swaying with no control
As if they are just about to break.
Leaves and plants fly away
Never to be seen again;
Settling in a different place,
Hoping this is where hell ends.

But the hell is just beginning...

The rain becomes heavier and heavier
As if the Gods are crying tears of anger.
Water rises above its normal level,
Even Neptune cannot control this sea!
Houses flooded, possessions destroyed,
Cries of 'What have we done to deserve this?'
Fill the air, only to be drowned out
By the crash of thunder and lightning flash!

Lightning doesn't strike twice here,
But it frightens and even kills.
No one knowing how long this torment
Will last - people become more scared,
Not even the bravest souls know
How to handle this. They forget
The most simple things...
Especially the preciousness of life.

In the aftermath the next morning,
Life attempts to be normal again.
But, will anyone ever be the same
As they once were? Maybe...
Have they learned from this?
We all do things differently.
Hell may have closed over,
But we all know it will come again.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is an intense poem. I particularly liked the image of the branches dancing.

Sascha Cooper said...

Thanks Rio! xxx

Lenore said...

All that from Brighton?! And I thought it was bad here on Caerphilly mountain. :P

But to be serious, this is nicely done and like Rio said, intense.

Anonymous said...

I agree with previous commentators. A very intense poem that really works very well. I'm actually just down the coast from you and remember this period of bad weather.

My apologies for not coming sooner and for the pause in prompts. Things will carry on as normal from now on. A new prompt is up. Thanks for your understanding.

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed reading this - I don't normally do poetry but this was engagin and accessible for me!