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Thunder Clouds
The calm after the storm
The clashing of wind against wind, two storm fronts raging in the coming spring.
The trees bluster in the spiraling vortex of light and darkness coming from the sky. The smell of asphalt and oils in the road come to the forefront of my mind. I smell wet dirt and sodden grass. The sky is raining in sheets, so heavy that it falls down like a powerful waterfall, creating pools of water in the dirt.
A cracking of thunder and lightning sparkles across the sky, lighting up the darkened places.
A flood of hail comes roaring down on the roof of the house the size of golf balls. This is not the kind of storm you play in.
We have the local weather channel on the tv, newscasters talking about rotation and tornadoes. The tornado sirens soon start to screech through the open windows, letting us know it’s time to take cover.
As we get our essentials; water, pillows, the cat, we go to our shelter space and hide out while the sirens blare through the roaring winds. We’re used to this routine, so it doesn’t seem as scary as it once did. But no one actually wants to get hit by a tornado, so we huddle up close, say a few prayers, and try to stay calm.
After about 15 minutes, the sirens stop and we know it’s safe to come out. We go straight to the backyard where we leaves and branches are strewn about all over the grass. But it is eerily quiet, the calm after the storm.
We look upward to the sky and see a double rainbow, a beautiful reminder that all things pass with time. And instead of running to take a picture, we embrace and enjoy the moment instead.
Sarah E. Sturgis 2020
