A Storm

I was scared of the rain.
I was scared of the thunder.
I was scared of the lightning and all.
I saw it as a danger, a monster to all living things,
As it caused floods and monstrous waves,
Taking away things and people that no one could replace.

I was scared of the lightning until one day my mother told me
It was God using His flashlight to see.
I was scared of the thunder until one day my mother told me
That it was the giants bowling.
I was scared of the rain until one day my mother told me, "It's okay."

Then I grew up, and those sayings were never the same.

I was scared of the rain until I realized it was the sky's way of crying.
I was scared of the thunder until I realized it was the storm's mind running endlessly.
I was scared of the lightning until I looked at it in another way—
I saw it as scars reopening.

I was scared of the storm
Until I realized it was just living.