Everyone Can Read More

As storm Ciaran settles here in Plymouth, here are 2 poems that reflect some of those stormy conditions the South West has experienced this week.

The Storm – Edward Shanks

We wake to hear the storm come down,

Sudden on roof and pane;

The thunder’s loud, and the hasty wind

Hurries the beating rain.

The rain slackens, the wind blows gently,

The gust grows gentle and stills,

And the thunder, like a breaking stick,

Stumbles about the hills.

The drops still hang on leaf and thorn,

The downs stand up more green;

The sun comes out again in power

And the sky is washed and clean.

A Tempest – Emily Dickinson

An awful tempest mashed the air,

The clouds were gaunt and few;

A black, as of a spectre’s cloak,

Hid heaven and earth from view.

The creatures chuckled on the roofs

And whistled in the air,

And shook their fists and gnashed their teeth.

And swung their frenzied hair.

The morning lit, the birds arose;

The monster’s faded eyes

Turned slowly to his native coast,

And peace was Paradise!