A murmur rolls across the lake from the west. What’s that? A plane, a train on the trestle far away, thunder? You pause, listen a while, go back to what you were doing.
Murmurs turn to sporadic mutters. Thunder.
The great debate ensues: to close or not to close the windows. Such a hassle if nothing comes of it. There are fifteen of the big suckers on two floors.
A flash of lightning. You count the seconds to gauge the distance. Check the trees to gauge the speed of the wind.
Mutters escalate to growls. You squeeze your eyes against the strobing light.
Zigzag. Zigzag. BOOM! Floosh!
Shoulda closed the darn windows. Run, crank, run, push, run, slide. Don’t forget the door. Slam!
The bowling balls are rolling. The disco ball is flashing. The gods are having one heck of a party. Doncha wish you were invited?
The storm blows eastward, casting nasty growls and dirty looks over its shoulder. The grateful, yet bedraggled, plants and trees wave goodbye, flicking off the last of the rain drops. The sun grins at dominating the skies once again.
Left behind in the bay, a gift from the grouch, are frothy whitecaps. Streamers left over from the party, they curl over and woosh up the beach.
Now it’s time for mortals to play. Out come the noodles and boogie-boards. Kids and adults dip and dunk, flop and fly, in the waves. Drag and drip ashore.
Take your breath away, first with awe then with laughter. I love a friendly storm. Don’t you?
© Joan Leacott 2012 photo credit: Stuck in Customs via photo pin cc
I love all your little details and your word choice. So beautifully written. Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful, Joan. we had a thunderous storm here today. loud, and wild. wind whipped the signs over the freeway, finally breaking one of them off. yikes.
Thanks, Louise. We had a bit of wind last night and a sunny day today. Guessed we dodged that storm.
I do, and this is beautifully written . . .
Thank you. You asked recently somewhere for signs of fall coming. I just noticed the Canada geese are headed your way. Do you ever see them near you? Maybe you call them something else?
We do! They flock to Lake Junaluska honking away – !
Once a long time ago, years and years, I was in the backyard of a house i lived in while in South Louisiana – and I looked up at the sky and there was this V shape – a HUGE Vshape that glowed – it was completely silent as it glided across the sky – I thought “did I see a UFO?” well, about a year or two later I was outside again and saw the same vision – but this time I figured out what it was – a flock of birds in V formation flying in the night – I don’t know what they were – but it remains one of the most ethereally beautiful sights in my memory — just as the egrets that flock on the cypress down there in So La — at night they glow on the branches . . .
of course, I see many awe-inspiring things where i live here in WNC, but thinking about birds and flocks and migrations has me thinking of this.
There’s aerodynamic logic to the V shape. The leader cuts the air, the last ones more-or-less coast. The birds take turn at leading. I once stood under a V when it was at tree level. The sound of the wind in their wings was incredible; loud, rhythmic, hollow, the sound of power.
wow! that would be so cool!