The Storm of Love

The Storm of Love

(“The crowd was awestruck, amazed and pleased that God had authorized Jesus to work among them this way.” Matthew 9:8 [The Message]”

Quit looking over your shoulder, frowning at life words launched
like water balloons in summer. Color after color, as close as bread
is to butter, the words with truth, the works with touch,
the walking once wounded roll up their begging sacks
and go home the long way, just to see the sights;
walk home the crooked way, just to stretch their legs.

The love that longs to heal is held back by the smallest fingers,
the tsunami of solace is stopped by the smallest “no” from our lips.

But the storm of love keeps rolling, keeps swelling, keeps curling
along the coast, waiting for the smallest opening to discharge its cargo
through one ill-timed inhalation of “yes” without knowing.

So wide the storm front, countries cannot bind its force,
so high its anvil toward the sky, there is no escape here-under,
though some try to run, or dive beneath the furniture,
the tempest is inevitable, and we will lie horizontal,
prone in the path it took to lay us down.
Because

The storm of love keeps rolling, keeps swelling, keeps curling
from least to most. Looking for the minute twinkling, the reflection from eyes
that invited the lightning and said “yes” barely knowing.

I know you were drenched last time you ventured in the rain.
I know the power shook the sod beneath your feet, the lights went
out near 3 in the afternoon and all became dark and the storm seemed
to bite the world whole. I know you saw three branches fallen on their sides,
empty where life had been shortly strung. I know you held hope that
this afternoon-come-midnight might be the end of damp feet and
makeup always running.

We’ve all been afraid of the dark before, lightning makes us jump
higher than our cats, thunder bowls us underground for safety,
hearing reports of floods growling our direction.

What power that makes us turn away and run afraid.
What power, may we quietly say, with gritted teeth hope,
is simply the announcement of

The Love we believed possible
when we picked snapdragons on the way to school.