The thunder rumbles,
Roars and crashes!
Lightening explodes across the sky.
Rain machine-guns our windows and roofs.
The clouds are at war!
The sun has locked herself away.
The world is dark and menacing.
The noise, the movement, the angry crashes
Exhilarate and frighten us.
Animals scuttle to hide in their dens.
The goose tucks her head under her wing
And fluffs up her feathers in defence.
We wrap up tight and watch
From behind locked windows.
The war rages on.
The wind joins in.
Torrents of water invade the land!
Then it is over.
The war is won.
And once again we see the sun.
She vanquishes darkness with a burst of colour.
Raindrops glisten in delight.
The rainbow returns to its station.
The babbling brook now gently flows
And smells of soil and trees and flowers
Rise up and dance in celebration.
We feel her crisp warmth on our skin.
And hear a million birds begin to sing.
And all our senses seem to say:
Arise! Awake! And seize the day!
Sharon Heaney Stansfield