The afternoon was sunny but the sky was a different cast of yellow than usual. The shade of yellow that portends a storm, weak with an orange-y shade of green to it. All there was to do was wait. There in the distance, a deep rumbling, as a bear or a dinosaur might make when it rises from a nap and begins to move.
Like an eyelid closing the grey was pulled over the sky. The rumbling grew louder, accompanied by day twinkles of lightning flash. From the west they came, the lumbering dark grey clouds, inked with black.
The sky now echoing with thunder and flashing with lightning, the clouds picked up speed and the heavy sheets of rain soaked everything below them. The closer they came the heavier and louder the sound of the water pouring out of the gutter and filling buckets put outside to catch water for the houseplants.
I stood out under the carport and watched the storm move over and eastward, inland. Soon all that was left of it was refreshed air, worms stretched on the driveway, and puddles.
Summer afternoon
weather’s traveling circus –
birds wait in the trees.
Kim is today’s host for dVerse‘ Haibun Monday. Kim says:
This week, I would like you to write about a time when you last watched stars, a storm, the sea, an animal, or something else in nature that left you with a sense of wonder or awe. Aim to write no more than three tight paragraphs, followed by a traditional haiku that includes reference to a season.
Tao Talk 
A thunderstorm can be amazing when you watch it from a safe and dry spot… love the way it feels afterwards as well
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Yes, this was a beautiful one to watch.
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I like the image of the eyelid closing on the sky. It’s amazing to watch a thunderstorm rolling in–as Björn says when you feel safe. And I love clean air smell afterwards, too (when it doesn’t go back to summer stickiness right away).
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🙂
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So very vivid!
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Thanks, Lucy 🙂
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You had me right there alongside you, so vivid and visceral. We get those summer thunder storms too, but the high winds bring down trees and cause power outages.
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Glenn, we get those kind also. This was one of the more gentle ones without much wind.
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That certainly looks like quite a storm! I love how you describe it like a lumbering beast, heard from far off to eventually come crashing in and just as quickly leave again.
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Thank you, Ingrid. That’s just how it felt!
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“Like an eyelid closing the grey was pulled over the sky. The rumbling grew louder, accompanied by day twinkles of lightning flash,”…. sigh … Your haibun reminded me of the thunderstorms we had here during June-July! 💝 Love how you describe it 🙂
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Sanaa, many thanks and glad you connect with the experience 🙂
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wow Lisa you really captured the seasonal sensations vividly … reminds me of watching the big storms roll in from over the sea. Your analogies of slumbering bear or dinosaur awakening really appeals!
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I’ve always loved to watch storms (from a safe place, of course). Our thunderstorms in the midwest can be awesome, but the fresh wonderful smell after they’ve power washed the air is marvelous.
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Yes indeed 🙂
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Carport / observation deck. Great write, Lisa!
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Thank you, Ron!
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Summer storms put on quite a show. A traveling circus indeed!! Very good haibun Lisa. You were hanging with the birds!!
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Yes they do. Thanks, and yes I was!
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Your last paragraph reminded me of similar scenes after a summer cloud burst. Very well portrayed Li
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Thank you, Sadje!
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Al
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That’s how it feels sometimes, a show just for our benefit!
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Vert atmospheric, you’ve captured this well. I love the smell of tarmac after summer rain.
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You captured that yellow that comes become a storm, Lisa (I call it nicotine yellow), it is indeed a portent and one that demands to be noticed. I love the way you describe the deep rumbling ‘as a bear or a dinosaur might make when it rises from a nap and begins to move’, and the simile ‘like an eyelid closing’ is perfect for the image in your video. I also love the way you bring the storm to a climax, with the thunder and lightning, the clouds picking up speed and the water pouring out of the gutter. I know I shouldn’t, at least until our roof is fixed, but I long for an exciting summer storm like that!
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I too like the summer storms very much as long as I am in the safety of my home, haha. “Like an eyelid closing the grey was pulled over the sky” This was superb!
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Your words gather momentum like the storm and the haiku returns us to a world washed clean. Well done. (K)
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I love watching a summer storm come in (when I’m protected, of course!) I was right there with you, Lisa.
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I love those thunderstorms UNLESS…they cause power outage…I’m selfish that way. You can feel and smell the rain sometimes and I love it.
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Same here, I love watching thunderstorms as long as I’m inside or in a car. We got ’em forecast for tonight!
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I am a HUGE fan of thunderstorms … the description in your prose poem is stunning .. I felt as though I was standing next to you. Great job.
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You took us there. Very vividly described
Much🖤love
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“Like an eyelid closing the grey was pulled over the sky. The rumbling grew louder, accompanied by day twinkles of lightning flash. From the west they came, the lumbering dark grey clouds, inked with black.”
I love the analogy of an eyelid closing. Gorgeous, descriptive haibun, Lisa.
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Sara, glad you enjoyed the poem, thank you.
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