from high above the clouds billions of raindrops shapeshift in free fall weightless collective vertigo moonlight's glow casts a shimmer on the screen blink-and-you'll-miss-it stabs of lightning slash holes in dark clouds that reconnect with the exhilarating, damning clash of God's displeasure deafening earth-shaking thunder one after the other I turn my music down so I can hear the din all the windows in this hail-washed house have drapes drawn apart, shades rolled up so I can watch the majestic display and pray for a tornado to swing by just close enough for me to gaze at but so faraway as to assure no damage to my observatory
these storms call to mind secrets, reminisces surprising, in their own personal way terrifying
knew a dude in high school found out too late he was the go-to man for controlled substances in those days this kind of weather would send him to the phone dialing Rhonda's number and she knew exactly what the call was about the wind that swirled 'round the eye told her she hit the ignition in the cute cherry red Ford truck he'd given her and braved the storm until she made it to his house
maybe it was an adolescent power trip the sensation he felt through his ***** when the thunder spoke then when it screamed he ****** she melted, the explosive crash drowning out the involuntary gasp which escaped through clinched teeth, the precursor to secret tears she seemed to have no control over pitch dark, intermittent lightning strikes to illuminate the Storm King sprawled out beneath her, the look of aroused determination on his face growing more elastic with the clatter of hailstones on glass windows
I never knew about the drugs, didn't need them then, though I sorely need them now but I knew he called Rhonda every time weather turned severe the talk amongst peers was that the two of them were never seen together in an underground shelter no matter how bad the moon may have risen Nudge nudge wink wink a nods as good as a wink to a blind horse say no more, squire, say no more!
I envied them I broke cheap champagne glasses when the storm came and used them to carve snaking tendrils across my wrists barely any blood shed but scared the *******out of that witch my dad married after mom left it was my failsafe procedure to assure at least another month away from them yes, the mental hospital was preferable
the rain fell ******* the Doctor's house weatherman said tornadoes were inevitable flipped a switch in my brain, activated a mean streak Doctor's favorite was insufferable brewed a gallon of sweet tea every day and drank every drop I saw lightnin on the horizon but that Big Bad Bear with the gun he stole from the Doc was nowhere to be found I'd be leaving soon I took out the gallon pitcher from the refrigerator not even cold yet unzipped my too-tight jeans hung my spout over the edge and turned the beverage into 1/2 sweet tea & 1/2 cloudy dark yellow ***** placed it back in the fridge and waited
sat with him that night, playing guitar, singing incomprehensible songs, watching him drink that **** tea and possessed by just enough evil to laugh in a ridiculously high pitch and enunciated to where I knew he couldn't understand what I was saying... I sang "****** in yer tea you know I ****** in your tea aren't you so ******* at me?" he never found out, else I probably would not be here to tell the tale
I had my excuses broken and discarded I was lost toyed with the idea of being a Satanist still lost standing outside in the middle of an electrical storm yes, I'm afraid I'm told family members have been killed by a well-placed bolt and if it's good enough for them by God it's good enough for me rain baptizes me, too stupid to come in out of it the thunder makes me **** and shudder lightning a brilliant fireworks show surpassing the best available powder and fire variety I have become part and parcel of this thunderstorm wait only for the appointed bolt to impale me with it's rapier voltage here he come swingin' I almost missed him what with his night-black get-up-camouflaged by the black night that tried to hide me from his sight alas, foiled by too much lightning
voltage from the heavens I could personally think of much worse