Vicarious Catharsis

Tears trace a lonely path down
The cold, misted glass.
Vetro dello spirito
 Their tracks mingling with each other,
Painting visions of surreal terror.
They stream down, and cast shadows
On the flickering gas light.

And still the rain falls down.

Drops drum a complex rhythm-beat,
Echo in my head.
Feel the chill of a storm brewing
Within, as without.
It’s raining outside, inside it’s raining.

Parchment and paper; ink and pens
Become witness to these outpourings
While outside, the wind lashes.
Screaming a tortured oath to its God.
Sublime in its suffering.
Ravages my windowpane.

And its pain, exorcises mine.