Inspired by Francis Danby’s masterpiece
Far, far away,
on the stormy grey sea,
Noah’s grand wooden ark
slowly and gently bobs
up and down, up and down,
in the waves of Divine Mercy,
but as I turn to the right,
my heart stops when I see
dark cascades of rain all around,
pouring madly out of the turbulent
black clouds like cool liquid lava.
I stand atop what was once a tall
mountain, surrounded by the
devastating deluge and flood,
and clusters of screeching
men and women encircle me,
clinging like crabs to the wet rocks,
but many have already fallen
into the swirling sea below and
clutch desperately to the feeble
branches of submerged oak trees,
hoping the tempest will cease.
Only hours later, I’m the only
survivor, but I won’t last much
longer since the water is up to my
waist, and it is more and more
difficult to maintain my hold of the
wet boulder I’ve been sitting on all
day, and as I hopelessly look
around, I only see grey water and
black skies, and the relentless rain
that brings with it God’s justice.