soft grumbles

Lucky. That was what I was.
Or so I thought.
I met a tormented woman
possessed, a hungry lion
who has stalked for weeks,
salivating, expecting,
ready to devour an innocent prey.
Even the mighty sun
cowered in fear and hid
among the clouds.

Lucky. That was what I was.
Or so I thought.
I had a stable crown
above my head,
thick barriers to shield me from her wrath
wrought from years of neglect.
But I miscalculated her strength.
When she unleashed her fury,
no roof was strong enough.
Glass shattered and flung like bullets.
Trees older than time were uprooted
with every uttered curse.
Thick walls began to wail
and crumble to pieces
as she lashed her tongue.

Lucky. That was what I was
Or so I thought.
I was several stories high,
far from the clutches of her arms.
Until her pregnant waters surged,
ready to purge whatever was in its path.
Birthing waves upon waves
that crept like a sickle would
unwanted weed
until there was nowhere to go
but the guts where my city lies.

Lucky. That was what I was.
Or so I thought.
Like a mother avenging a slain child.
She spared no one! Men, women, children.
Strong, weak, wicked and the meek.
I grabbed a post as the waters
rushed to where I was.
Unlike Noah fighting a tumultuous storm,
I couldn’t save anybody but myself.

Lucky. That was what I was.
Or so I thought.
I was caught in raging waters
that ate, consumed everything.
I caught all the debris earth had to throw away.
I was battered and wounded.
I did not surrender.

When her fury subsided,
I stepped on muddy ground
only to find men and women
strewn and sprawled lifeless.
I heard moans and screams
of healthy men now limbless.
A woman screamed her child’s name,
man grieved for her dead wife
and a child cried for parents
nowhere to be found.
It was then I knew what I was.
Lucky!