Storm Clouds Rolling In, Roland Folse

storm clouds rolling in

it's a late afternoon,

between April and June,

prime time for dramatic weather.

the prairie's vastness is

overshadowed, dwarfed,

by storm clouds

rolling in

inexorably,

on powerful winds.

the green fields are supernaturally luminous in the

frightful sallow light

of the impending thunderstorm;

cumulonimbus clouds move slowly but

arrive too fast --

great gray angry giants shouldering each other,

vying for the sinister pleasure

of raining destruction.

in an inside room away from windows

I huddle with The Dog

(absent proof that hell may soon be loosed, the fearless cats still snooze on window sills).

my painstakingly crafted agenda

is suspended in negative ions.

I can only wait

for mesocyclone and tornado watch --

or warning --

until the squall line passes

and I'm sure again I have a safe place

in which to pursue my

urgent

yet ultimately insignificant tasks.

Thea Chesley