Torrents

A torrent of rain
I am soaked to the bone
Shivering with cold
Standing alone
A frigid wind blows
Adding insult to injury
My teeth chatter
I stand silent, stoic
Not complaining
Taking all that it can give
A statue in the raging storm
Freezing to death
Soon I will not be able to move
But I grimace,
I glare at the clouds in defiance
Internally, I find myself
Screaming to be let out
To quit now -- it's not worth it
They may have broken my spirit
But my body is much more stubborn
I hold on to my spot in the flood
Tenaciously --
Tears, mimicking the rain
Streak down my face
But I stand firm,
Refusing to be swept away.

        -- Bem Ajani Jones-Bey     10.5.99