The Storms
Whipping Whirling Twisting Turning
Rising Falling Pushing Pulling
Shaking Singing Clawing Crying
Jumping Falling Screaming Sinking
Wooden splinters slice flesh
The whip cracks through salty air
She holds the child close to her breast
Praying in languages they can’t understand
Twisted sisters crying out in pain
Screams of fury that echo through time
She falls, shackles dragging her down
Sea devours her
The salt, her skin
The waves, her flesh
The rocks, her bones
Lightning shatters the sky
Sound from silence
Motion from stillness
A death of monotony
An escape from agony
She’s falling again
And again she falls
Until the waters are red
The sea, her blood
The rain, her tears
The wind, her songs
The thunder, her rage
Homes reduced to wooden splinters
Wind whips and twists and turns
The ships hull cracks and groans
Bodies floating in murky waters
She is the storm
James Seven Preston (he/they) is a queer, African American poet from Rochester, New York. James is a freshman at SUNY Geneseo, where he is pursuing a degree in Black & Africana studies, as well as philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE). His passion for poetry is only rivaled by his love of cooking and music, which they consider the most beautiful forms of human expression. This is their first publication.