Battered but not broken
Battered branches with limpid leaves
Hang exhausted before the onslaught
Of the gale.
Robbed of their nascent, verdant virility
They forlornly cling to life,
Gathering themselves
Like a boxer between rounds.
Below the drifts of drying debris
Is testament to the ferocity
Of nature.
Piqued by insult
She rounded against friend and foe
In a tantrum of frustration
Before settling back to brooding.
In future years we should expect no storm,
But rather a more measured response?
A subtle reminder of power
That we can only imagine,
As she vents her fury
In more subtle and terrible ways.
For nature has
Formally
Given us her warning.
Opher – 24.5.2020