Somewhere Above

July 6 2020

The thunder rumbles ominously

somewhere above

the grey curtain of cloud.

So it seems to come from all directions at once,

like a free-floating threat

or a clever enemy

who pretends to have you surrounded.

How I wish it would declare itself.

A sharp crack

that rattles the windows, shatters glass,

the distilled light

of a zig-zag bolt

polarizing the air.

That the heat would lift

the humidity break

with a scouring wind

and cool rain.

A pyrotechnic display

that sends the dogs cowering.

But no, the sky merely teases

then strategically withdraws,

conserving its strength

for some other stormy day.

An empty threat

an ambush gone astray.

So still, the stifling heat suffocates

the muggy air weighs heavily

the land cries out for rain.