by David Roth
(c) 7 September, 2003
And then another
And another
Slowly the torrent began
A drop here
A splatter there
Drop by implacable drop
Slowly the tide turned
The mist became a shower
The shower a torrent
The torrent an impossible wall of water
The wind howled
The lightning flashed
The thunder roared
The downpour raged on
And then without warning
When all seemed hopeless
When it appeared that the world might wash away
Blown to eternity in the hurricane of fury
That bent mighty trees into submission
That threatened to wash entire hillsides into oblivion
In that bleak moment of despair
The scream of the demon wind took pause
The giant turbines electric madness
Which mere heartbeats before
Stirred the cauldron of terrifying demise
With great arcing electric spoons
Withdrew into the darkness
And the maddening tumult
Voiced on the wings on a pantheon of angry gods
Faded to a whisper
Withdrew to the realm of distant memory
Leaving behind only the echo of what had been
Jubilant rays anticipation
Danced merrily through the shroud
Prying back the darkness
And a sense of immeasurable awe
Filled the air
As the unseen brush
Dipped in the spectral palette of translucently brilliant color
Painted the arc of promise across the sky
A streak of neon brilliance
Glowing against the backdrop
Of the vanquished storm
To leave behind a gentle ray of hope
And the reminder of God’s promise
Carried on the wings of love
Born in the heart of the storm
Delivered in a cascade of color
Emblazoned on a canvas of golden sky
Reaching from horizon to horizon
The Rainbow
Ablaze in brilliance
Awash in color
Carried the message of assurance
That peace will surely follow the storm
