Earthly Night

The sun sinks behind the darkened mountain
And the darkness follows the once-bright circle.
The light evaporates into the moonless black.

The wind stirs, then blows fiercely and uproots seedlings.
Dust whips forward and covers the dark green bushes.
Leaves spiral horrendously, circumventing their mother.

Lightning strikes the bare globe willow.
Thunder rumbles across the meadow
As the trunk cracks and splits in two.

Savage hale the size of baseballs pound the grass.
Rodents scatter and screech at the offensive weather.
Earth's ferocious deeds sever the lives of many.

The ground shakes and the black clouds flush.
The surface breaks open and steam flows out.
The river floods and decimates everything in its grasp.

The sun peeks over the hilltop and drowns the
Clouds clear. The river is calm, anew.
Animals dance and sing their songs again.

The petals of shaken flowers open to the light
And sigh in relief for their new safety.
A bee lands to start its daily pollination.

And life continues with a stretch of morrow.