Standing in the Storm by mythsteps published on 2022-05-09T20:27:42Z STANDING IN THE STORM Apocalyptic movies reveal: how we thrill to imagine some mad cataclysmic event that sends the planet's populace running willy-nilly--arms flailing-- through streets rocking wildly from the rush of that panic. But of course those movies also reveal our wish to be the hero and heroine who face the burl of fire and storm and refuse to waver. At story’s end having saved the metropolis-- the nation--the world we stand with them in the ashes of the aftermath and lift our eyes to the hope of a golden dawn. However that big dream only lasts two hours and when we exit the mundane life on the street seems so uninspiring in contrast. But why should it?-- every day we feel the heat increasing-- I see people fleeing a monstrous inferno-- every day those fiery tentacles destroy homes, cities, farms, forests, oceans. We have birthed the apocalypse! Occasionally I’ll feel out of breath and realize I’ve been running. Then standing amid the fire and ash I’ll know again how weak I really feel. At such times, I begin to fear my anxiety will soon overwhelm me. And so, in desperation, I’ll force myself to find the strength to remain still— to deal with the firestorm instead of giving oxygen to those flames with the wind of my retreat. Sometimes then the sun will shine through those dark shifting clouds and again I’ll see how we’ve given ourselves an opportunity to be the better version of who we are. The hero and the heroine. Genre poetry