The Flood of the Forest

The trees crash down
upon the others
crawling with creatures
of teeth and feathers

Lightning attacks
like angry sunlight
tearing at the leaves
with ravenous appetite

Insects scuttle
among the chaos
fear and greed
fill their brain mass

The rainwater’s strength
saturates the skin
numbness fills
the bodies within

The wet wood’s pungence
fills frozen nostrils
mixed with the coldness
of the deepest evils

The thunder’s booms
Are buried by rustling
of a thousand leaves
thrashing and shaking

White light glows
upon the air
shadows dueling
everywhere

The trees that shake
among the dead
stand on to challenge
what next the storm bred

Terrible winds
clawed at the branches
hurling them down
as terrible lances

Flying paws
of some powerful creature
drowned by the crash
of a falling trees power

The rushing of leaves
the booming of thunder
the crashing of trees
falling asunder

creaking of trunks
moaning of lumber
howling of wind
shrieking its hunger

Trapped she was
in the flood of the forest
witness was she to war of the bravest . . .

Her prison of trees
lay unheeded
enraptured was she
by this War unabated

Dreadful it was
raging about her
yet in it she saw
terrible beauty alive in the horror

All of those people
dancing in the Sun
who would ever know
when it had begun?

No one would know
when it was won
No one would know
when this epic was done

In a War without hatred
but only fear
In a War that only changes
the soul with an ear.

Escape was estranged
this was the place
death was accepted
on her intoxicated face

But could she leave
this tale untold?
To all the world
would it never unfold?
* * *
Once upon
A winter’s day
Ignorant footsteps
tread light and gay

Unaware
of the terrific past,
When something of interest
was seen as he passed-

Under the ferns
upon the moss
lay a page
runes running across

A knee did bend
a hand reached out
to read the letters
to yet find out . . .

A sudden wind
rushed into the light,
as if a ghost
of that terrible night.

Across the page
A story lived
The Flood of the Forest
was relived.

And finally came
the ending lines
faded
but lasting through all times

‘I’ve used my ink
I’ve done my duty
Tribute has been paid
to this torrent of beauty.’
P.L. Rao
17th October 2006