Fear Remained

Story ID:	3798
Written by:	JANET KESSLER POLUDNIAK
Organization:	JUST ME
Story type:	Poem
Location:	Green Valley UT USA
Year:	2005
Person:	Anyone dealing with fear issues.

This poem was inspired by a flood I witnessed when I was in Green Valley, Utah. It was clearly devastating for the homeowners along the river.

The middle photograph shows the cascades at Buttermilk Falls State Park.

The last picture is near Cornell University.


Fear Remained
©2004, Janet K. Poludniak

A river shed from mountain grandeur to an enormous waterfall,
but her great cascades were her glory, for they surpassed them all.
All the towns the river touched were thankful for her might.
She brought fresh water to their homes; her harnessed power brought light.

For years she'd run the same old course with a cadence true and bold,
but none had ever dared to dream what a great storm might unfold . . .
until the long, hard rains came and she broke free of any rule!
No longer calm and beautiful, the valleys became her pool.

Nothing could stop her violent flow . . . . Not rocks or trees or dam!
Her devastation was astounding, she had crushed their every plan!
Her muddied waters lay everywhere! They forgot how they'd been blessed!
They forgot her years of faithfulness and profaned her for unrest.

Seeing her terrible transgression had awakened a dreadful fear
and her tales of awesome blessing did just up and disappear.
But once the storm was passed, sadly, the fear remained
in spite of all her beauty and the blessings the towns had gained.

Once a trust has been broken, there's a lingering pain and fear,
whether from a raging river or from folks whom we hold dear.
While time is not the healer, out trust can be renewed
as painful memories fade from view and better times are viewed.