Alesia Leach Poet Free verse

Along With The Thunder

It wasn’t the lightning
that split me--
it was the silence that came before.
That breathless hush
like the world holding its tongue
right before it screams.

I have learned
to count the seconds
between betrayal and the crack--
the flash of what you did,
and the roar of who I became.

Don’t tell me
to be soft in this storm.
I was soft
when I begged,
when I bled through apologies
you never meant to give.

Now, I burn.
I rise with the wind.
The sky echoes me
and I do not flinch
at the sound of myself anymore.

You ran
when the clouds broke.
I stood
and screamed back.

Because I don’t come
after the thunder.
I come along with it.

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Justin Bordner May 19, 2025 at 3:41 PM Love has given you a gift that only lightning can speak of...it is beautiful Poetess. "I do not flinch at the sound of myself anymore..." Awesome!...J.A.B. Alesia Leach May 23, 2025 at 4:39 PM Justin, your words strike like lightning themselves--thank you. That line you quoted was my reclaiming, my roar. I’m honored you felt the storm’s heart and called it beautiful. Here’s to voices that no longer flinch.

Sam Kauffman May 19, 2025 at 12:37 PM Very powerfully written, Alesia. Wonderful use of metaphor to deepen the meaning of your words. Best wishes for the contest. Your have taken the theme to a deeper level. Blessings. Alesia Leach May 23, 2025 at 4:37 PM Thank you so much, Sam. That silence before the storm always felt more dangerous than the storm itself--and I wanted the poem to crack open with that truth. I’m honored the metaphor spoke to you, and your kind words mean a great deal.

Paige Hind May 18, 2025 at 1:42 PM This has a deepening power to it, like the repercussions of thunder. It's raw and like thunder I hear it as well as feel it. Beautiful. Alesia Leach May 19, 2025 at 1:03 PM Thank you so much, Paige--your words struck me in the very best way. I love that you felt the thunder in it; that was exactly the echo I hoped would linger. You always read so deeply, and it means the world.