To Frighten a Storm
O now you come in rut,
in rank and black desire,
to beat the brush, to lash
the wind with your long hair.
Ha! I am afraid,
exceedingly afraid.
But see? her path goes there,
along the swaying tops
of trees, up to the hills.
Too long she is alone.
Bypass our fields, and mount
your ravages of fire
and rain on higher trails.
You shall have her lying down
upon the smoking mountains.
Copyright Credit: Gladys Cardiff, “To Frighten a Storm” from To Frighten a Storm. Copyright © 1976 by Gladys Cardiff. Reprinted by permission of Copper Canyon Press.
Source: To Frighten a Storm (Copper Canyon Press, 1976)