The Way of the Prairie Thunderstorm

The Way of the Prairie Thunderstorm

Was it that I was then an impressionable child
That rain from the sky seemed so sweet?
Large droplets splashed against my face,
Their taste and smell were so fragrant.

I recall the surge of cool air brushing away the dust
Which had settled on the leaves of the trees.
The gusts of fresh air chilled my skin covered with sweat
From the hot baking sun of a summer’s afternoon.

Looking up I saw the dark rolling clouds
Which ushered in the slate gray clouds filled with rain.
The drama of the oncoming thunderstorm heightened
As rolls of distant thunder sounded the drumbeat of the storm.

My senses grew alert as an animal which senses approaching danger.
Now I must run for shelter as I am out in the open meadow.
Quick now! Make a run for that hay shed over there
Before the rain, the wind, and the rolling thunder overwhelms me!

Such thoughts are still sweet in my memory–
I can recall the dusty smells of summer chased afar
By the life giving refreshment of the prairie thunderstorm.
These memories of youth thrill me yet with the power of our natural world.