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Tuesday 26 March 2013

Storm Brewing


In a grey sky
a dark cloud. Spreading.

Rolling out from under it
a rose and copper cloud with purple veins
stoops over us.
A school ma'am on her rounds
not liking what she sees.
She straightens
topples fast towards us
flattening a white cloud child.
The child keels over knowing that its time is up.
No cry rings out from the dead child
but mournful wailing comes to us from somewhere afar off.
Sea cries like a chorus answers it.

A dark cloud issues from her skirts
rolls back upon itself. From skirt and bodice now
the rose and copper cloud spawns other clouds. Streaked,
mottled, ink dark, glowing, stirred
as by an unknown hand, they bubble, burst, come to the boil
as though there is a heat source hotter than the sun.

Softly they drop towards the sea
like feathers from some bird kill in the sky.
The water is in turmoil. Dark beyond the rocks
and far beyond man's dark imaginings, but blazing white
where now it's springing skywards from its slapping of the rocks
before it crashes in a shower of flying shards on top of them.
It's mirroring the clouds. It rolls. It plunges. Spirals
inwards. Is flung in all directions. Water ejects water
in great jets. Great gobs of water are sucked down. Spewed out.
Subdued. Waves turn into tunnels. Spouts turn inside out. Are holes.
Become the sea's black holes. No light escapes them. Stars
might die within them. We would never know.

Water pours down from the clouds. At first fine sprays.
Soon these are heavy, bouncing columns battering
the pock marked surface of the sea with all the vigour
that the sea expends upon the rocks.
The rain welds sea and cloud together in some conspiracy.

12 comments:

Brian Miller said...

wow...lots of menacing imagery, or intense imagery to capture the taking and giving of the water...the cycle from the clouds...as with many of natures functions i am in awe just watching it...interesting the allusion to the school ma'am as well dave....dramatic and intense...

Grace said...

This is the kind of post I wish I could have written ~ Wonderful images of the storm brewing, specially the second stanza ~

But its the ending line that slays it:The rain welds sea and cloud together in some conspiracy.

anthonynorth said...

That is one magnificent storm. Great imagery.

21 Wits said...

The visions here are neatly shared- and a bit sad as well, but nice depth to your poem most of all!

Tommaso Gervasutti said...

A picture very similar to the atmosphere of the beach I have been going to for ages from Venice...familiar ground just one step from the Beyond, ready to swallow me in...

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Elephant's Child said...

You have really captured to power (and potential for disaster) in a big storm here. Love it - thank you.

Mary said...

Wow, Dave, you have really gotten inside of that storm and shared all its detail. Amazing write.

DCW said...

I feel like I am standing, but just barely keeping my feet, on Beachy Head.

Dave King said...

Once again I have to thank you Everyone for your kind comments and helpful thoughts. I don't have much time to spend in the blogosphere today, but seriously hope to be blogging againas usual tomorrow. Thanks again.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I too look up into the sky and see fantastic images Dave - rather like seeing them in the embers of a fire. Beautiful imagery.

Ygraine said...

Yesss!
A person after my own heart!!
I see images everywhere, and until now, thought it was a madness unique to me.
Thank you, Dave, for being another like me...:)