The Sun behind the Storm

Where does shelter lie

To offer solace from the storm?

Do you wall the endless sky

And close off every face and form

Until your soul is held inside

And nothing enters through the door?

But what of those who wait outside,

Enduring still, as times before,

The lashings of the driving rain,

The pressures of eternal strain?

 

No – today, I open up

To hear the cry and see the cup

Where dreams deferred spill out again

To break upon the ground, and then

I reexamine what I think

And learn from lives that bend their ink

To mark the struggles they have known,

Each loss and wound and broken bone

And so much time spent waiting

For all to hear the devastating

Song that pours until reform

Will find the sun behind the storm.

 

For the sun is sometimes brightest

When it’s breaking through the falling rain,

And the air is sometimes lightest

In the shadow of the hurricane.

Will the days soon bring that moment?

Will the swelling waves and fair refrain

Bring all humanity to bear,

Confronting such historic strain

With deeper strands of love? Ensnare

My humble soul, in days grown warm,

Where solace lies beyond the storm.

I've been writing this poem slowly over the past week, thinking about everything that's been happening in the country and the world - thinking about the past and present sins that haunt our society, the need to confront and address these horrifying realities and systemic injustices, and the importance of raising up the voices and work of members of vulnerable, neglected, and oppressed communities. In that vein, I'd suggest you check out the short and extremely powerful poem Harlem, composed by Langston Hughes. That poem is what inspired my use of the phrase "dreams deferred" in the second stanza.

The poem I've written is meant to convey the responsibility I have to be open, to listen, to work toward a better understanding of the issues at play, and to support efforts for a more equitable society where everyone - and especially those who have been and continue to be the targets of racism and injustice - feels safe, valued, and loved. It's my hope that this period will help to push us along a path that leads, eventually, after continued effort and sustained work, to better days.