Awake by chance,
I watched a flicker
in the dark clouds
growing quicker.
Drawn, I watched this
fleeting wonder:
the dull sound of
distant thunder;
the dreamlike build
of slow suspense
in too calm air
still warm and dense;
the dry leaves’ dance
along the street,
edges scraping
on the concrete;
the slow advance
of mist and rain
that gently fogged
the window pane;
the sudden spark
of jarring bright
as lightning cracked
the grey-black night;
the numbing taste
of ions churned
that caused my throat
and eyes to burn;
the sudden gusts
of storm-pushed wind
that hissed and moaned
through the tree limbs;
and then, the whip
of sleet and wind
that chilled my bones
and soaked my skin.
It raged an hour
and then was gone,
leaving small pools
that dried with dawn.
11 APR 2004
