I like the way you take a naturally occuring event and manage to report on it and turn it into an opporitunity for introspection. Your bit on the marsh grasses was nice as well.
Walking Beneath A Dark Cloud
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Please keep posting. I enjoy reading your poetic prose.
I'm very surprised anyone actually likes my writing. I was a math tutor for
years and didn't do very well on my English SAT's. Arts and Literature classes
were always a struggle and I used to make fun of people who liked Wuthering
Heights and such novels. I have written some songs over the years and play a
little guitar and keyboards but nothing has ever been published.
Who knew, maybe I will keep writing.
Have you read any of Robert Pyle's books? He is a naturalist and nature writer here in the Pacific Northwest. I've read several of his books. One, called 'Crossing the Dark Divide' is an exploration on whether or not there is sufficient sustenance available in the northwest woods to support the large omnivore known as Sasquatch. One might be tempted to write it off as nonsense until you read further...
8/12/09
At 4:20 PM I went for an evening walk a little earlier than usual as rain
and thunderstorms were sure to arrive soon, as they so often do here in the
summer in southeastern Virginia. The weather changes quick and the weather changes often, and so I have learned to rely on the activities of birds to keep
an eye on my surroundings.
As I turned the corner to leave the neighborhood and walk to my favorite field I noticed a low dark cloud hanging just above me, nestled among a backdrop of white, fluffier, friendly clouds. Where did that come from I thought? Ever since I was caught in a crackling thunderstorm at the far end of
a golf course I have been very lightning conscious, that long run for cover is one
I never want to recreate again.
And the cloud kept changing directions, as if it was taunting me, making
my uncertainty even stronger. I immediately turned around and picked up my
pace, longing for the comfort of my home and two dogs. Time began to stand
still. My normal walk is at least 30 minutes but this fearful one would last exactly 15, but it seemed much longer.
Then a strange thing happened. As I entered the comfort of my
neighborhood the cloud suddenly seemed higher and further away. I could
tell it was gently moving in one direction, Northwest. The unusual activities of
a large group of sparrows and a lone mourning dove on a nearby roof seemed normal, whereas a few minutes before they had seemed suspect.
Sometimes in life we really do walk under a dark cloud and there is
real danger, but sometimes in life we create danger in our minds that keeps
us from taking risks and achieving our dreams. Walking under a dark cloud is a metaphor for the fears in our mind, whether real or imagined.
It is up to us to figure out which is real so we don't miss out on life.