• The Land of the Free Strawberry
    by midnyt_blossom


    I.

    Grey skies and swirling thunder
    Dots the periwinkle twilight into darkness
    A lone strawberry stands in the fray
    Fists clenched, mouth tight with contempt
    The world she loved was cast in turmoil
    She wished it all to end

    Angry cerulean clouds battle with lightning
    Flashes of light were naught but bouts of fight
    Long has the gay sun left this charred land
    Winds and heavy downpour are the only constant sight

    Tight lipped, she closed her eyes,
    Willing the angry clouds to recede
    Where was the blessed yellow?
    Long had she last seen the grass so green
    The rainbows have all but vanished
    Her eyes see nothing but muted scenes

    Thoughts of disdain flow like distant water
    Suppressing, she tried to block out
    Praying,
    Always praying,
    for the glimpse of summer
    Shadows and bleakness
    There’s no way out

    Heart heavy,
    Her mad words swallowed
    She kept her blessed stillness
    Ears blocked, lips clamped,
    In silence she suffered


    II.

    The rumbling was unbearable
    She longed for the warmth
    The discontent was building
    This was going on too long

    Voices were heard
    Faint but strong
    Like wisps of wind
    Long far gone…

    “Reach out”
    “Hold on”
    “Believe with all your might”

    “The thunder and the lightning
    Are all but mists of shadows
    Roaring, they may
    Always remember
    They are naught but just that”

    “The light has always been within you
    Find your strength and grab fast”

    The little strawberry
    Once numbed with cold
    Felt a stirring
    A jolt
    She suddenly felt bold

    Her heart
    Its beating
    The only sound
    In her world

    It grew erratic
    Thudding
    Thumping
    T’was drastic

    A lightness
    A happy thought
    Then another
    and another
    Memories of days gone by came flooding in
    Hers, once upon a time

    Inched
    Slowly at first
    Like faded images in a roll
    Dancing,
    Laughing,
    Before her eyes

    Faster and faster
    Smiles from yesterdays soaring with her soul
    Filling
    Overwhelming
    The happiness uplifting
    Transforming
    Awakening
    Masks were breaking

    A crack was showing in her cave of darkness
    A speck of light
    That grew
    And widen

    Engulfing,
    Edging
    Its brilliance, inviting
    With everything illuminated
    She can finally see


    III.

    Sun dusts melting the ice
    The sun, finally peeping
    All glorious shimmering brightness
    T’was a sight to see

    And now,
    With the beckoning of the rays
    Sweetened by a kiss
    Of a passing breeze
    With it
    Chasing last vestiges of fear,
    Where hope clasp tightly in hand,
    And full strength resonating from newfound will,
    Slowly
    Slowly
    A real smile broke through
    Leaving the hatred for the past
    With love for the future


    IV.

    Clambering
    Skirting
    She’s made her way out-
    The lone, lost strawberry was at long last found.

    She’s been in hell
    And back again
    And all there is between

    At long long last,
    It’s in the past

    Finally-
    She is truly,
    And happily,
    Free.

    The End. 4laugh