An Awful Tempest 

Mashed the Air

An awful tempest mashed the air,

The clouds were gaunt and few;

A black, as of a spectre's cloak,

Hid heaven and earth from view.

The creatures chuckled on the roofs

And whistled in the air,

And shook their fists and gnashed their teeth,

And swung their frenzied hair.

The morning lit, the birds arose;

The monster's faded eyes

Turned slowly to his native coast,

And peace was Paradise!

~ Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

Post Script

But in the wreckage left behind

The politicians raged.

Each blamed the Other Party

For being disengaged.

The President was vilified

The Cabinet was mocked

The Money Men from Silicon

Pretended to be shocked.

While on the ground the Good Brown Souls

Did everything they could

To bring the victims and their pets

To safety from the Flood.

~ FreeThinke