A Lightning Storm

Fierce it was that night,

Graphing the black sky with its silvery fire,

Lighting the earth brightly, a fireball.

We were heading west on the Interstate,

Snug and arrogant in our moving vehicle,

Sharing out little space with radio talk.

Then with the suddenness of a viper’s thrust,

It returned the sky and all the earth

To its proper night.

Flaring up soon after, without warning,

A huge ember glowing up beyond the roadside woods,

Teaching me that the lightning was not yet done.

--June 4, 2013