Traverse

Outside,
the wild wind,
the blowing rain
whip fallen leaves
into a frenzy,
knock weakened trees
to their knees.

Inside,
only a wall and window away,
I am cozy in my flannels,
toasty socks,
with pen and fresh notebook.

Always,
my mind attempts to traverse
contrasting worlds
that lie within
and all around me-
peace and mayhem,
healing and destruction,
beginnings and endings,
hope and fear,
wondering how they can coexist.

How to live in the tension between
without one extinguishing
the other,
without turning away
from the suffering incurred?

I have no answers.

For now,
I am grateful
for this moment of comfort
made more keenly dear
by the awareness
that a storm
is just one thin wall away.

By Maria Brady-Smith
Photo by Mike Smith