And as the sun's rays
Beat down on the earth
The world suddenly awakes
And is filled with new birth.
Under the leaves so dead and brown,
Sprouts a Spring Beauty, and life is found.
Spring is life…
Of this I've no doubt,
I feel I'm alive, and I want to shout!
Lauren Isaacson 8th Grade
I used to sit on my front steps and watch the storms approach. The sky would turn gray, then dark, inky blue as thunderheads bearing rain scouted a path above the tall oaks surrounding our house. Lightning seared the murky, restless skies as I peered into the dark abyss above me, and when the storm drew hauntingly near, I would relinquish my seat for one inside the house.
My love of storms was not blind love; I respected the power of nature and maintained my distance, continuing my vigilance protected by four walls. I once witnessed the mauling destruction of a seemingly healthy oak as the wind cracked its trunk at 20 feet above the ground and sent its entire upper portion sprawling to the woodland floor. I gawked in astonishment and breathed a sigh of relief that the tree had not fallen in the direction of my aunt's home. Wide-eyed, I realized that my hands were shaking; I left the doorway and took a seat in the living room.
A Storm In The Offing
Storm clouds are coming,
The wind is in wrath;
Soon raindrops will penetrate
Everything in their path.
The sun is still shining,
The birds, still in chorus…
But this will not last,
For a storm is before us.
The wind is now lashing
The trees without care,
And their sap is now flowing
With each breath of air.
The sun's face is veiled
With a blanket of gray;
The heavens break open,
And rain fills the day.