Photo: Minnesota Summer Storm
atop the roof at the back of my childhood home
I sat, facing southwest
in the summer night the crickets hesitated
the lightning bugs dimmed their tails –
perhaps the sky’s lightning rendered them with feelings of inadequacy
or perhaps nature instilled in them a sense of respect
for the largeness of night
for life’s rhythm
what did the insects understand that I didn’t
with another sequence of flashes
I awaited the delayed rumble of thunder –
the delay that the movies could never get right
even the closest flash of lightning
was followed by some pause before thunder
never thunder at the same time
and never thunder before lightning
in the rumbling a slight breeze scurried over my anxious forearms
a few houses down Mrs. Thurman hummed
as she washed the evening’s dishes
like the crickets
she understood the rhythm of the sky
her hums soothed my skin ahead of the storm
a carp splashed in the river behind my house
then a raccoon trilled cautiously to her young
she’d pulled a fresh clam onto the rocks of the river bank
and wanted them to eat it before the storm arrived
hurry up hurry up
her babies scooped up every last bit in the flashes of lightning
they waddled back along the bank
the young stood on their hind legs and sniffed the portentous night air
when the sky paused
the crickets stopped chirping
the lightning bugs disappeared
clean dishes were left to dry in the Thurman’s empty kitchen
carp whispered beneath the currents
echoes sounded from empty clam shells
from beyond the lines of tall oaks in the distance
the lightning illuminated bulbous shapes of rolling clouds
that were moving toward my neighborhood
a muffled hum pushed itself northeastward
it grew louder and clearer as it passed through each tree
each leaf was a cymbal against which the wind tapped its rhythm
I heard my dad in the driveway
slam the doors of the car after he rolled up the windows
more lightning flashes came in quicker succession
a neighbor’s restless dog whimpered in a backyard
the rumbles of thunder were quicker and louder
nervous children giggled
their bare feet slapped along the warm sidewalk in front of another house
the approaching wind became a symphony
growing larger
a crescendo
from my crouched position
I stood as large raindrops pelted the rooftop
I pointed my curious nose in the air to sniff at the immensity of moments
and smelled the last moment possible
at the highest sense of elation
before I forced myself back through my bedroom window
attuned to a sublime rhythm
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