All is lost, swept away in an instant
Raging tide, howling wind, crashing storm
Angry torrents of wind-whipped rain
Families huddled together, praying
Asking God to spare them

All is lost, and yet not all,
for still there is hope
Survivors abound, bedraggled but thankfully alive
Family and friends separated struggle
To find a familiar face among the throng
Exhausted, confused, adrift, praying
Asking God to reunite them

All is lost, the once familiar destroyed
Unrecognizable, buried, washed away
Twisted debris where once a child played
Now there is only devastation, sadness
For all is lost, and yet not all,
for still there is hope
As new found friends gather around a welcome meal
Asking God to bless it

All is lost, and yet not all,
for still there is hope
As lives are changed
Things once ignored no longer taken for granted
Things kept hidden now revealed in the light of a new day
Thoughts left unspoken now shared with abandon
Grievances long held, forgotten in the joy of being alive
All is not lost, for God answers prayer
and always, still
There is hope

©2005 by Chere Holland
Copyright © 2005 All rights reserved