Original Poem: Of Wind And Waves

I see fear in their furrowed brow, their terror stricken eyes,
as they stare into the fierceness of the gale.
I see the tenseness of their hands, their strained and vice-like grip,
as they wildly clutch the safety of the rail.

The panic seizes all the crew, as the pouncing tiger waves,

leap with fury  across the drenched and heaving deck.

Tender thoughts of family sweeps with horror through their minds,

as they contemplate their doomed and foundering wreck.

With seas now sloshing around  their knees, they know that soon they'll sink,

the time is now or never to do or die.

But lo, look there, the sleeping Lord knows nothing of the storm,

but calmly slumbers even when death is nigh.

He’s jostled from a fitful sleep, and standing, stretching now,

He feels the awkward movement of the waves.

“Carest not that we parish?” is the question he is given,

as their eyes reveal their fear of watery graves.

So gazing out upon the deep, He slowly lifts His arm,

and rebukes the wind with gentle words, not shrill.

The men now all-aghast, as the winds start to subside,

with His meek and lowly words of .  .  .  . “Peace, Be Still."

Why are ye all so fearful? Why do ye have no faith?,

He questions as the winds lay down to calm.

“What manner-of-man is this?” they say, “that even-the-wind and sea,

obey this man who has no doubts or qualms.”

.  .  .  .

And now we look back on that day, that fierce, tempestuous storm.

when the Master did command the wind and waves.

But more than that, we’re sore amazed, He’d not just rescued us,

but with His blood  .  .  .  .  .  . our souls  .  .  .  .  .  He’s mightily saved!

Of Wind and Waves 

By J. Brad Chapman

November 2, 2014

There is a painting in the lobby of the Las Vegas Temple of the Savior calming the wind and waves. It is my favorite painting of that event. I wrote this poem with that painting in mind and tried to capture the feelings and thoughts from the faces and actions of the crewman.

Painting by Walter Rane