13 Sept: Riding the Storm

B&W photo of cypress swamp

Riding the Storm

Storm drags the swamp,
but that man won’t run.
Barefoot in mud,
and he glares at the sky
like it owes him something.

Cypress leaning close,
gossiping in the shadows —
thunder shakes whiskey
straight down his bones.

There’s storm in his blood,
hurricane in his breath —
he was born to howl
deep against the dark.

And when the sky splits,
when the wind claws through,
he just grins —
a swamp-man’s vow
tastes like iron and rain.

Ride the Storm by GoldFord

Some artwork is created using Midjourney AI, and is identified as such in the ALT text or captioned. Images are copyright and not to used without permission, which I willingly give when asked, and when not for commercial use. Imagery and poems/prose ©Misky 2006-2025.

10 responses to “13 Sept: Riding the Storm”

  1. What do you mean by ‘storm drags the swamp’?

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    1. “Storm” is brilliant metaphor, but let’s just say that I meant that storms disrupt landscape; uproot populations; cause devastation. Storm and flood flows are powerful, picking up debris – trees, mud, rocks, anything in their way – becoming unstoppable and bulldozing their way down river valleys and destroying anything in their path — as it has happened in recent weeks in Spain, in Italy, in Nepal, and in parts of America. There are those people who heed official warnings and evacuate, and there are those who stay put to protect their property. The character in this poem defies not only official warning, but nature itself.

      This is such a curious question Phoenix, and I must return the question to you: what did you think it meant?

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  2. Honestly? I thought u meant the man as the swamp, metaphorically of course, so kinda like he’s been there so long, he’s a part of it…thought at first the storm is dragging him, but by the end, he’s standing tall…

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    1. That’s the wonder of poetry; it can mean a hundred different things to a hundred different people. Your interpretation is an excellent one — I like it very much. The world is a bit stormy right now, too, but I hope that all of your storms are gentle and kind to you.

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  3. Thank you for your compliment
    And I hope the storms are to you too lenient

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  4. Is it just me- or does her sound naughtily enticing? probably just me…..

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    1. Her? He? Who? 😂

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      1. HE! heheheh I didn’t catch the typo!

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  5. Fab poem, fab song!

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    1. Thank you, Chris!

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