storm summer

The clouds come every evening in dark black and blue clusters of soft still-setting paper-mâché in darkening swirls thickening under gravity the rain is too liquid violent fragmenting blue light in torrents of electricity and breath and the birds have all flown somewhere else until this all blows over the mornings are quiet waiting that fans out from the porches into the air that hangs from the branches on the tip of everyone's tongues that echoes from the ground to the reflective glass of antique windows painted futile shut against the sneaky whims of air that people notice and watch their backs against as if to make sure that as they walk the whole town isn't disappearing behind them a void of space a retreating of form back to empty essence.

The cats grow restless on window ledges hemmed by screens if the mystery were small they could hunt it kill it and bring it back surrendered to their masters but it's
everywhere filling the town and seems bigger worth bowing to in the pecking order not attacking to kill outright wait until it really sleeps no one knows entirely what the quiet means besides storm has passed another on its way.

The flowers are still hungover are justifying the next gallons as hair of the dog stoic in the manner of a man backed into a corner the ground will stand its ground the sun shines ignoring the required retreating of light ignoring what it and everything around it knows must change only the lonely roots smile to themselves snaking everywhere underground to and fro preparing for the banquet feast a swelling to the point of nearly touching in the wet dirt.

Rain it rained so hard and on the road I almost lost control of the car a truck was passing on my left and shooting water all across the windshield of the dumb small car I had the little one in the back and I couldn't see anything but water covering too much the whole car it actually occurred to me maybe the river had gone to higher ground and we were plowing under water my hands kept the wheel shaky or straight all long enough that I knew I was still on the road but had no control at all.

Then I could see again and he was still asleep, safe in the back of the car. I know you trust me but what if I fuck it up and fail you.