A Dark and Stormy Night

Prompt: List down all of the cliches you can think of, then choose one you're most familiar with, or the one that strikes your fancy. Make that the first line of your poem. You can take the cliche literally or figuratively. 
________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

'Twas a dark and stormy night.
Rain pattered on the glass.
Lightning flashed, thunder crashed,
The entire house was dark.

On that dark and stormy night
There burned a single flame,
Flickering in the darkness
On that night of wind and rain.

Muffled by the thunder,
Rain continuing to pour,
The sound of creaking floorboards
Was heard outside the bedroom door.

Bang! The door blew open.
The candle flame blew out.
Behind the rain and thunder,
A child's fearful shout.

Another flash of lightning, 
A shadow in the light,
Reaching for the child
On that dark and stormy night. 

Bump against the table,
Candle shakes and falls.
Footsteps moving closer,
Child screams and calls.

Then suddenly it's over.
The nightlight flickers on.
The child cries and sobs
But the shadow now is gone.

Mother to the rescue,
Holding the child tight.
Promises of safety,
That everything is all right.

The storm is gone by morning,
Sun shining now once more.
Everything is back to normal,
Except the candle on the floor. 
________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

  

A Poem of Life and Death

Prompt: Choose a poem you like. Take the last line and use that as the first line of your own poem.

The poem I chose is "Do Not Stand at my Grave and Weep" by Mary Elizabeth Frye, which is probably one of my favourite poems.

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

I am not there, I did not die.
You will not find me at my grave.
I am not there, I did not die,
Although my life no one could save.

My body rots beneath the ground,
But in the earth I won't be found.
Dig up my corpse, and you will see
No more than transport. That is not me.

I live in your heart, and in your mind,
I live in the memories left behind.
I live through you, as you still thrive,
I am still here, though not alive. 

My heart has stopped, my body cold,
As happens to all when we grow old,
But never am I truly gone,
As long as my memory still lives on. 

You will not find me buried deep,
There in the ground, an unwakeable sleep,
But remember me as I was before,
And I live on forevermore. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________