Hurricane Thoughts

Thoughts in a Hurricane

Sandy, October 30, 2012

The Hurricane
William Cullen Bryant

Lord of the winds! I feel thee nigh, I know thy breath in the burning sky! And I wait, with a thrill in every vein, For the coming of the hurricane!

I went out this morning for the dog to walk me as usual.  We know our path very well now. The day was colored in hurricane--swirls of leaves twisted into grey sky.  The rain blew sideways and trees inverted like umbrellas.  Nobody else braved the outdoors. Mother Nature and my dog had an urgent rendez-vous in mind!  As we rounded the corner, there in the field between two homes stood a magnificent buck with several points on the antlers. Almost as if posing for us, he lifted his head into the sky...and for a brief moment, he seemed to say, freedom.  Nobody else dared the day but us, mere onlookers, who backed off quickly not wanting to disturb such majesty.



  Sandy, 2012

Oh Lord, send us a hurricane that cleanses the earth,

And waters the ground for months to come and gives life,

To creation. Carry the leaves heavenward and twirl them

Into neat bundles to feed the foliage with compost rich,

In minerals. Lay waste the campaign signs and chase away,

Candidates, and pull the plug on our power to save us

From endless commercials and ourselves, the illusion

that we know what we do without you.