Sunny Beaches and Calm Breezes (I Wish)

In the howling wind
In the crashing storm waves
In the shrieks of scared birds
Blown here and there
They will survive

In the lightning crash
In the stampede of cattle
In the desperation of deer
Running hither and yon
They will shelter

In the firestorm
In the crackling blaze
Inside the inferno
Sparks lighting this torching that
We shall not be blinded

In the scrambling
In the burning
In the never-ending question
Of what to do here—
how to treat that…
Research must dig through the ashes
And find a way…

In the quake
In the cracks of earth
In the fiery fumes
That arise from the deep
All of us will find cooling water

In the eye
Of the hurricane
In the calm of the center

That peace
Surrounded by a wall
Of destruction
There must be a way through

In the crawl of my skin underneath
In the constant itching and irritation
In the symptoms of rashes
Appearing under this, then over that
I will be calm

In the chaos,
Take my hand
Lead me
To treatment

Still the battlefield
I live

Find me those breezes
Or at least…
stillness.

Umbrellas down, please
The war of resolution
is about to start

Sunny beaches and calm breezes
I can only dream.

There is no calm until…
I become it
In the center.

Author’s Note:

This poem reflects the storm of living with chronic illness—where the body becomes both battlefield and question, and peace is no longer something external to chase, but something internal to embody. Written in the shadow of Alpha-Gal Syndrome and the search for treatment, it’s both a cry and a compass.

Let’s give it a go.