The Storm
(Meant to follow “The Quiet Before)
As the storm approached
The temperature dropped, cooling the air,
Raising goosebumps on the skin.
Off in the distance
You could see the roiling,
Dark gray clouds as they blow our way.
You could hear the rumble
Of the thunder announcing
The storm’s imminent arrival.
Then the wind kicked up
Lifting the quiet water
Into white capped waves.
Lifting skirts and blowing off hats.
As the black clouds arrive
At a surprising speed,
The thunder’s rumble grows louder.
The wall of rain begins
Pounding hard.
No preamble drizzle,
Just pounding rain and
A fierce wind that
Bends trees to their breaking point,
Stripping branches at will.
The storm pounds the earth and
As quickly as it arrived,
The clouds pass by, pulled by the wind.
Sunlight returns magically,
The thunder slowly fades in the distance
Leaving the earth drenched
In its water,
The air cooled
And goosebumps still
Sitting high on our flesh.
Roy W. Backes
© 2021
Roy W. Backes - Poetry 