You and I have always shared a love of thunderstorms

but there was one that put all other storms to shame.

A group of us were walking back toward campus.

We hadn’t even seen the first drops of rain.

Then you threw your hands in the air

challenged god to strike you down.

suddenly thunder boomed

and lightening flashed all around.

Everyone else was scared

but you and I could feel

the energy in the air

and we knew that it was real.

We stood atop that hill

as the sky grew dark overhead

and watched as a violet bolt

ignited flames of red.

And that ring of coal black clouds

looked like the apocalypse.

Our friends all ran off

but we just stood transfixed

by the blinding contrast of

those brilliant flashing lights

as they threw waves of gold

across that ruthless sky.

At last we managed to break the hold

that storm had over our minds

still as we ran we watched behind us

wanting to see all it’s destruction unwind.

We joined our friends in what seemed like safety

the car we thought would take us home

but then it stopped and sat there frozen.

We felt exposed and all alone.

We waited for what seemed like eternity

as the storm raged on outside.

When help finally came to get us

we all thought they’d saved our lives.

It felt like a near death experience.

Looking back now I know it was not.

Still when I think of that night I remember

how excited we were by the thought.

We were trapped in a tiny metal car

on a flimsy metal rail

in the middle of a lightening storm

and we lived to tell the tale.