After the Storm
Captured at Sunken Gardens, St. Petersburg, Florida, November 2022.
The world is not simple, life can be difficult, and complex,
Many families are divided, and countless souls are depressed.
Even reality itself may be challenging to define,
Perceptions, interpretations, and experiences do rarely align.
It is difficult to accept that in this world in which we live,
People will choose to be angry and refuse to forgive,
That the human journey does not lead to harmony and peace,
And from grudges and vengeance, there is no release.
Just one week ago we experienced the calm before storm,
Ian was upon us, of its fury, we were sternly warned,
Unprovoked, and yet natural, great harm it would inflict,
The victims were uncertain, the path was difficult to predict.
Each of us has within, that of nature, the same,
Beauty, kindness, and love, and the capability to cause pain,
We nurture and give, just as sustenance, gifts from land and sea,
Though to accept our imperfections, few have the capacity.
Houses will be rebuilt, and nature will be given another chance,
Where there is suffering today, in the future, couples will dance,
Eager to return, without question, or concern of the risk,
Nature we will forgive, forget, and become stronger, with brisk.
Why are houses so much easier to rebuild than our homes?
Why are people less valuable than the possessions we own?
When cities are destroyed, the first words are “we will rebuild”-
Why do disagreements so often lead, to relationships that are killed?
Waters recede, life is reborn, vibrant colors of nature, reappear,
Current suffering will become the history, the lore of yesteryear,
Calm before storm, and once again after, calm prevails,
From nature, a lesson, return to perfect balance, as scales.
The tragedy is, that nature’s lessons, we will disregard,
The cycle of life is to rebuild, no matter how hard.