A Patch of Blue

Winter in my part of the world is usually our wettest season, which means that grey-sky days are more frequent than during the rest of the year. Not seeing the sun for more than a day in a place where sunshine is the norm can be hard on the soul... Here is a poem I wrote that described the experience of seeing a break in the clouds after a series of overcast winter days.

A PATCH OF BLUE

Grey skies had bowed my head:

Weighed down by heavy clouds

Unbroken to the horizon,

Crushed by unrelenting dullness

Slowly rolling overhead

And closing in my soul

To a single plane –?

Oppressively narrow;

Monotone –?

Bringing me to my knees.

I prayed for relief,

Eyes tight shut against the view

As if to sleep and forget.

A subtle shift in the air

Startled me awake, alert.

Peering upward for its source,

A rend in the sky-cover

Revealed the endless heaven beyond,

Bright with possibility.

15 June 2021