The sky was stained with apricot at first—

rich in color, illuminated by the sun.

I liked the red and yellow tint on my cheeks—the glow you gave me.

But orange became grey. Warm became cold. Bright became dark.

And my forever home began to flood.

The photo albums bled into disarray.

The raindrops like salt on my tongue.

Higher ground was hopeless.

Our words crashed against the sand.

Every strike of light burned a new hole in my heart.

And I reminded myself that the storm would not last forever.

The rain would stop. The sky would clear. And the sun would shine again.

Storms like these are inevitable,

But there is beauty in their destruction.

You just have to look beyond.