Poetic Moment - There’s a Storm Inside of Me

 

There’s a Storm Inside of Me

There’s a storm inside of me today

What kind, I’m not quite sure

I feel compelled to recognize it

Check it at the door

The type of storm we’re dealing with is critical to know

Get diagnostic under way, this weather’s got to go

The storm shows my emotion, and it reveals the truth

Something needs addressing by my clever inner sleuth

If hurricanes are raging, that means fear is in the air

This enemy has in the past fast snagged me in its snare

Fear rises from uncertainty and doubt gives it its power

Knowledge tames this raging bull and forces it to cower

If it’s an earthquake, watch your back, then anger’s looming large

Sudden and destructive passion’s aiming to take charge

And what I’ve noticed this mean storm is destined to instruct us

Is whether real or imagined, there’s perception of injustice

Rectify the injury, or vindicate the pure

And placid blue expanse returns as raging clouds demure

If it’s a freezing blizzard that we find is in our midst

Then loneliness I’m almost sure’s the culprit that exists.

Crouching lowly in a corner, hidden silent in the dark

Feigning weakness as if victimized, when this misses the mark

The answer to melt loneliness and thaw it’s frozen grip

Is be a better friend to me, I’ve let my self care slip

Tornado is the final storm which sometimes tries to swell

When cyclones blow destruction ‘round I know what I must quell

This feeling is more like a thought, “exploited” is it’s name

Someone’s taking mean advantage, someone is to blame

It may be true they overstepped, but judgment’s not my business

Honoring my values is, beginning with forgiveness

Feeling used is a beacon to speak up and to be heard

Tell the truth with lots of love and don’t leave out a word.

Next set boundaries, definition of just where I stand

Clarify and hold fast to the treatment I demand

How’s the weather where you are? See any big storms brewing?

I let them be a sign that there is something that needs doing

Taking action changes hearts; this I now realize

The storms I face can be my guides; life’s paths to optimize.

We have so many resources at our disposal to point us in the direction that's right for us. Our ideas, intuition, wise counsel from others, data, and one of my favorites... emotions. So often, they are hidden under the surface and get more and more subtle as we ignore them and stuff them down. But once I learned to hear the whisper of my emotions -- not allowing them to take me hostage and trigger impulsive reactions -- but attuning to them so they can support me to thoughtfully and compassionately respond in light of them, then my feelings became powerful signals that alert me to red flags, reveal emerging opportunities, and open exciting, adventurous pathways waiting to be discovered.

I wrote this poem to remind us of how mighty our emotions are and how beneficial an ally they can be in self-discovery, strategizing optimal ways forward, and decisively leading others to victory. I hope it inspires you to lean in to your emotions and discover where they will lead...

Want more? Listen to me reading my poetry on Instagram at Instagram.com/sonyakayblake