Poetry Reading – “When the Storm is Over”

Originally published October 18, 2018, this piece has been recorded previously as one of the first recordings I posted here (at https://objectsanddistance.com/2020/12/13/when-the-storm-is-over-2/, along with a photograph (which was what I started adding around the time I began recording, eventually evolving to artwork).

I am re-recording and reposting this, as my dear friend Jasmine (https://www.instagram.com/mine_primel/) has been kind enough to create artwork for this piece (below) and I wanted to do it justice with a new recording.

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The original piece is below for reference, and can be found in its entirety at https://objectsanddistance.com/2018/10/18/when-the-storm-is-over/

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When the storm is over
And deep blue skies are beginning to break on the horizon
It would be easy to believe
That there is nothing left for you to do
Other than to wait
Hopeless and defeated
Until the next storm comes through

But it is in these moments
When the worst lies behind us
That we are able to see with clarity
The damage that has been done
And we are able to assess
The value of what has been lost
As well as what can still be restored
And what must be re-enforced

For though there will doubtlessly be dark days ahead
Which may come unannounced and with little warning
You can
And will
Survive
And with time
And patience
You can learn to thrive just the same
Knowing
That true value does not lie
In objects or lifestyles
In expectations or familiar routines

True value lies within
As an integral part of who you are
For you are more precious than anything else
More than structures and foundations and possessions accrued over time
Which may be lost in strong winds or heavy rains

You are resilient in spirit
Endowed with the gift of persistence and inherent worth
And you have weathered many storms before
You will weather many more
Each time
That much more prepared for what comes next
That much more aware of how far you have come
More aware of what has been left in the past
As well as what was been retained

When the storm is over
And all may be lost
So long as you remain
There is still hope