The Beast in the Storm by Fariel Shafee

The mottled dusk when

Light and darkness danced

To the tune of

Anarchy, when the

Bleeding wings of a sacred bird

Lashed against

The shrubs, the

Storm unsettled the known

Right and wrong took the

Stage in pairs.

That’s when, in the secluded

Shade of my yard, the beast came, fiery

Eyes, antler legs, hirsute arms

Crushing down the twigs, howling like

A monster that swore to take

The world down.

In its roar echoed the lion, but it

Was pain that rode

Quietly atop the

Destruction. There was want and

Lust, but also hate, the sour

Tune of betrayal, all mixed up,

All muffled beneath that

Layer of

Misunderstood

Violence.

In that storm, when the large gray

Clouds occluded the sun, when

Dust blew into the eyes, and

When the wind hummed on the

Solemn song of change, I

Left my home, walked

Behind the beast and

Found the forest

With ancient trees, silenced owls

And way too many graves.

Bio

Fariel Shafee studied physics. However, she loves to write and paint. Her writing has recently been accepted by 34 Orchard, Eccentric Orbits 5, Sirens Call, etc. Find her online here and here.

Author's note

I wrote the poem while listening to news, looking at some fairly disturbing pictures, and contemplating about the complexity of conflicts and the grayness of life. I was wondering about how destruction and violence originate from not only want and greed but often also from hurt and expectations that are not fulfilled, and how, at times, an innocent passer by, moved by the emotions bared open in a conflict might join in, only worsening the situation and dragging herself into a dark world. This poem is about how we are human, not all good, not all bad, how we fight, repent, and how angels and beasts both reside in us in a world that is too complicated.