Poetry Corner #7: Not a Storm
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I received great news today. The kind that makes you do a happy dance in your room in the middle of the afternoon. The kind that comes with congratulatory phone calls and text messages from people that genuinely care about you.
I had been waiting for this all summer, but in reality, I was wishing for this for years. I’d like to say that my faith was intact and I played the waiting game like a pro; that I believed in myself and trusted the process. But the reality is that this could not be farther from the truth. There were long periods of hopelessness, short bursts of despair, a lot of questioning myself, and the occasional affirmation that “great things were coming.” Yet, I persisted. I changed. I grew.
There was a storm outside my window when I began typing these words. It was just past 5:00 pm, but my room got dark and was only lit by the light on my computer screen. The thunder and sound of the water splashing on the concrete patio floor were loud, demanding attention. Making me stop and listen. It was overpowering, yet so soothing. It only lasted for a few minutes. The storm dissipated, the sky cleared and my room lit up again. The thunder is now a distant rumble and the loud sound of the raindrops has been replaced with a bird singing, rather erratically. The storm is over. The whole thing seemed so symbolic.
Today’s poem is called, “Not a Storm”. I wrote it after a moment of clarity when I realized that I am so much more than my bad moments. I am not just the version that others thought I was on a bad day. I am not just the version of myself that was once hurt or angry. I am not a storm, I am water.
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