Father Flood
The Papers preached a sudden deluge!
A judgment on the land!
But we lived our life as always
Catching raindrops in our hands
“Surely, it has rained before,”
Said my Father with a smile.
“I’ll cook us up a special meal,
“Let’s enjoy it for a while”
The scent of cooking and smokey flame
Pushed away so far the rain and doom
And as we ate and joked and laughed
We seemed impervious to the gloom
“But Dad!” I said, shaking slight,
And the old man cocked his head
“What if what they say is true–
And by morning we’ll be drowned-dead?”
“If it’s danger that you fear,”
Said he, “From the coming flood,
“Something soon will come to me,
“Something always does.”
The rains they fell with fury
From a hole torn in the sky
And gathered up in cracks and crevice
Seeding waters; a vengeful kind
The streets were marshy wet
And the grass a muddy mess
And in little streams and rivulets
The water came inside.
“Dad!” I yelled with wet-sock feet
“The water is inside!
“Just how long now will it be
“Before the waters rise?”
“My boy!” he replied jovially,
With a simple little grin,
“It’s naught but cracks and splits in walls
“That does let the water in!”
“But if you’re scared to death
“Of a sweeping vengeful flood (fear not!)
“For something soon will come to me,
“Something always does.”
The rains continued their assault
As they are wont to do
The fire in hearth was then put out
As the waters soaked up through
Our humble, little, lovely home
Shaken scared by howling winds
And as the waters rose knee-high
I called to Father once again
“Dad!”I screamed, now soaking wet,
“Water’s taken up the floor!
“And soon it will rise above our heads,
“As it crashes through the door!”
“Son,” my Father said with strength,
“Let us make our way upstairs–
“The water will not reach the attic,
“I know that you are scared.”
“We will be fine in our place!
“With the attic’s door shut closed–
“And something soon will come to me,
“Something always does.”
We made our way quickly upstairs
Sister, Father, I, and Mom
And yet the rains to earth still fell
Yes fell to feed the rising flood
And with horror still unmatched
In strength on that fateful day
We watched the waters claim the attic floor
Causing the house to sway
“Dad!” I pled, all ashen-faced,
“We surely now will drown!”
The evil rain, it crept up quick
And soaked our knees on down.
“Son,” said Father firmly
Both serious and stern–
And to this day I can recall
His final chilling words:
“I love my family desperately,
“And will keep you safe from harm”
And though the waters rose up high
He stood still and strong and firm
And then he looked so solemn
And said in the face of the mighty flood
“Something soon will come to me.
“Something always does.”
Water then rose up to our necks;
We began to sputter, cough, and spit
And then my Father thundered,
“This will not be it!”
And with the strength of ten men
He moved with fox-like speed
He lifted mother, sister and I
Out the window, sweet air we breathed
He hoisted us up on the roof
And made certain that we stayed
And not slipped of into the great deluge
Caused by relentless rains.
I waited for him to be OK
And swim on up for air
But his breath was spent, his strength was sapped–
He never did appear
Mother cried and sister wept
And I was crushed inside
Gradually the rains slowed down
And flood waters did subside
A boat did come and pick us up
And took us to higher ground
We met other survivors
We had all lost our towns
* * * * *
My mother knew not what to do
She slumped, near petrified
“I know not what will become of us,
“That Father has now died.”
I smiled slight at my family dear
The sun emerged and lit the flood
(I whispered), “Something soon will come to me,
“Something always does.”
smallsanctuaryblog.wordpress.com 