Incredible storms, both last night and this afternoon. Just before midnight last night, I saw repetitive bright flashes through the windows. I thought maybe there was a search or something going on and flashlights were shining all around. But it was cloud-to-cloud lightning, not just heat lightning, and it went on for a long time, accompanied by loud claps of thunder. Not much wind, though.
It seemed to go right over me and didn't feel all that high above my head. Just as it passed over, the rains began to POUR down. I mean pour! Within minutes, the yard was covered with several inches of water looking for somewhere to go. It let up after 15-20 minutes, and then passed on. I heard from several coworkers that it didn't even rain where they live and that's only 10-15 miles from me. Storm cells are like that. My father was a meteorologist for, well, pretty much his entire adult life, and I picked up a lot from him that helps me make sense of the weather.
Inspired by the light show, and in the middle of the storm, I wrote this triptych:
Strobe after bright strobe
illuminates the tree line
my eyes the camera
Flash and bang at night
rain falls in slim silver strands
I stand, mouth open
Flashes receding
and diminishing thunder
this storm has played out
During the day today, I got to thinking of all the creatures -- in the woods, along the creek beds, in the trees and ponds -- and wrote more verses:
Diagonal rain
thunder rolling, lightning flash
crayfish cheer and dance
Heavy rain all day
when it stopped I walked outside
the earth just said "squish"
Magnifying lens
raindrops balance on a stem
which way will you slide?
Peace. Tim
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Excellent verse. Really top notch.
ReplyDeleteWe had the exact same type of storm just the other day. Loads of cloud-to-cloud lightning and occasional thunder. Then the rains fell. Almost a full inch of rain in 25 minutes.
Bro