The stormy sea
Raged as waves roll
And the sky flashed with lightning
Fierce as could be.

I watched from my window
Hearing the fierce wind blow
Seeing the crashing waves on the shore
A frightening sight to behold.

The warning had been sent out
Of preparation to make
For a hurricane was coming in
And great could be the destruction in its wake.

Many ignored the warning
Deciding to ride out the storm
Thinking it will not come our way
And if it does I will be safe from harm.

The winds begin to buffet the land
And rains lashed the trees
A preface to the worst yet to come.
The hurricane unleashed all its wrath
Destroying everything in its path.

As the winds howled and the lightning flashed
The storm delivered its horrible punch
Destroying everything around
With trees crashing to the ground.
Quavering, I hunkered down in the hall
Praying God would save us all.

When the storm passed on its way
Continuing destruction in its path
The morning came and with it the sun
And we were able to see at last
A horrible sight
As if a bomb had fallen in the night.

With a prayer of thanksgiving that no life was lost
And our house continued to stand
We saw lots of damage was done.
The storm had passed on
The rain was gone
And out came the sun.

Nevertheless, we suffered a terrible cost
For power lines were down
And we sweltered in the summer heat
With hardly any food to eat
And worry of how we would ever get the yard
Cleared of all the fallen trees.

Neighbors bonded with neighbor to help
And outsiders came in to give aid
So gradually we were able to move on
As all evidence of the disaster was gone
And we were no longer afraid
For God had once again provided protection
And supplied our every need.

Now the sea is calm and serene
And I know I can safely say
It is indeed a wonderful day
For I know God will be with me
Through the storms that come my way
And the days of tranquility
Always watching over me.

© Jane Ward Smith
September 9, 2008
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