The day may be calm
But it can begin within an instant

Storms are like panthers
Quick on their feet and always alert
Black as night
Deadly when not taken seriously
Often striking when least expected

The clear sky
Once as blue as a hidden creek
Becomes a mirage behind the clouds that blanket it

Time seems to stop
You and I notice nothing
Flowers hide within their petals
Closing off from the outside world
Birds silence themselves
Taking cover in the tree branches
And the cloying scent of rain fills the air

Together, we all wait
Humans and nature alike
With bated breath
As the first heavy drops begin to fall

The storm picks up quickly
Clouds so full of water that they seem about to burst
Cry tears down on the grass

The wind screams out an eerie warning:
This is only the beginning
The worst has yet to come

Clouds darken and close in
The first flash of lightning licks the sky
Leaving the air full of electricity
And tasting like fire

A heartbeat later
The ground trembles as thunder growls
Trees shake, all the way from their delicate leaves
Down to the very ends of their roots
For the wind sings louder
And the trees know what is to come

The clouds still their tears
Lightning and thunder pause in their game
Of cat-and-mouse
Skies turn an ominous green
As the rumble of trains are heard from a distance

Chaos is let loose
As if Pandora’s Box has been unlocked
A siren’s shriek rips through the air

The black funnel pours out of a cloud
Stretches its neck toward the ground
Picks up anything it can grasp in its hole of a mouth
Chews it
Swallows it
Spits it out again

Everything in its path is left broken

The funnel retreats back into the angry clouds
Leaving with a final streak of lightning
And a restrained purr of thunder

Pale light shines through the cloud in patches as they disperse
Illuminating the destruction
The only proof of a monstrous storm

We come out of hiding, you and I
Begin rebuilding the damage
Under the colors of the rainbow
And a shining sun