Storms

Storm's assembled group of raiders

Rush in off writhing seas,

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Thundering footsteps gathering pace,

As they noisily take to the hills,

Hitting their stride on a landmass spine,

Howling their power where beacons once stood,

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Echoes of their war cries

Tracing his charge through the valley.

They jeer and pull at trees, securing branches in a hostile grip,

Urging, persuading, forcing them to join

Their chaotic brand of merriment.

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Some go willingly, others sit tight,

Battered and bruised,

Weakened from the fight.

Storm revels in his percussive fury,

An invisible Olympian, gathering masonry

And hurling it to the farthest reaches of the land,

Conducting clouds to burst 

In a crashing crescendo of rain;

The Severn Valley, February 2022

Filling, spilling and bursting rivers...

Whirlpool forming in the River Severn yesterday

River Severn, Arley - banks broken

...vanquishing land.

Bridgnorth yesterday

Storm circles and sweeps, playing cruel tricks,

Going over old ground,

Riverside bench consumed by flood water, Bridgnorth

Repeating the same tried and tested tortures

On already broken, reluctant playmates.

Arley, River Severn - small road bridge underwater

Flooded meadow on the banks of the River Severn, Arley

Tree debris caught by bridge, Bridgnorth

Submission weakens Storm's will

Until he stills - dispassionate, disinterested,

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Retreating back to the waves in a sun flare,

Bridgnorth and the angry River Severn, yesterday

His mirrored canvas laid bare.

The storm is over, but flood water continues to rise

I have been laid low this week by storms and suspected Norovirus, with just bland food and my note pad to keep me occupied.  Thankfully both subsided within days of each other, allowing two trips outside to (safely) capture the unprecedented flood waters along the River Severn, resulting from the recent triple storm assault.  "Unprecedented" in this context, is starting to lose its meaning sadly.  

I thought I would give Storm a male identity for a change (and Franklin was the last to pass through).  Other news may have played a part in this decision.  

Hope you're all safe and well.  Do send me your news!