“Give Me the Quiet Wind” by Alex McCullough

Give me the quiet wind

of a vacant lawn,

and a street drowned

in the floods of teary hope.

Give me the quiet wind

of a state enmeshed,

quelling violent fires they

witness round the globe.

Give me the quiet wind

of much kinder rain,

without runoff imbued

with anger and hate.

Give me the quiet wind

of a stage for all

to sing their voices raw

with joy, and yet, if

there's a quieter wind,

will we even hear

when the storm robs us of

our joy, and our hope?

Will the wind silence the

cries of strife and pain

from those who didn't know?

Will it drown us too?

If there's a quiet wind,

will we even care?

Or will the pounding hail

miss us just enough?

Give me the quiet wind

so I may forget

that even cheery storms kill.

They do, they will.

Alex McCullough is a rising U-M sophomore from Toledo, Ohio, and is pursuing a major in English and a minor in Spanish. In his free time, he enjoys reading (and buying way too many) books, playing piano poorly, scream-singing in the car, and writing.