Christian Chiu ‘24 The Deluge

PRISMS

The Deluge

A thousand days, quite literally The clouds never cried their sweet tears On land, the crops and hills cried different tears - dry tears begging the skies for an ounce of salvation If an entity yearned for the sky’s blessing more than the Earth itself it was its inhabitants The drought plagued every human and animal with an insatiable hunger and unquenchable thirst

On the thousand-and-first day, the clouds rolled in An ominous and heavy shroud threatened the peacefulness of the blue skies and gleaming sun Yet, they promised sweet springs Finally, the clouds began to cry Just as the clouds wept, so did the Earth Out of joy For weeks the rain persisted, bringing its blessings

Five hundred days passed The rainfall was not a gift but rather a curse veiled in a blessing’s cloak The roots of the Earth swiftly drowned along with all but a few of its inhabitants

Another five hundred days passed The clouds prevailed, drowning Earth of life and light One man remained, glaring at the blanket of black above wishing for death all throughout that thousandth day He relentlessly begged the clouds to take his life

hoping to join them in the sky Dusk swept over the man’s head and the steady pounding of rain quickly robbed him of consciousness for the night Shortly, the thousand-and-first day of rain began The man woke from his slumber, looked up at the sky, and prayed

Please.

The sky rumbled in understanding And with a mighty deluge, lightning, thunder Provided the man and the world with one final blessing

- Christian Chiu ‘24

PRISMS