Wednesday 23 July 2014

Weather event





This metallic blue plant
was ripped out of the ground by an unholy storm last Friday night.
 Cauliflower clouds built and swirled and involuted
as if on a sped up film just a little way off and so low
they seemed scarcely higher than the fence.
I called to people to come inside.
Then from nowhere; from  a standing start;
a hot wind rushed across the garden from the south.
The trees twisted and convulsed, flowers were trampelled 
as if by invisible hooves.
There was no rain, some sheet lightning,
but the wind was the main event.
It was like being in the path of a monstrous steam engine.
It roared and churned and battered the earth.
Then it passed and all was quiet again.
I have never seen anything like it.

The thunderstorm that followed in the night
was a non-event by comparison.

11 comments:

  1. How alarming !
    But you have still managed to make lovely photographs out of it .

    ReplyDelete
  2. That first picture is just astounding.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds wonderful and frightening at the same time. The sea holly (I can't remember its proper name) looks amazing, loving the shadows too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The colour of that plant is amazing. Beautiful photos. Thankyou for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow! Being witness to nature's power surely can be frightening and dazzling, too. Your rescued flowers present a graceful reminder that nature also brings beauty.

    You really do take wonderful photographs. xo

    ReplyDelete
  6. This sounds like something straight from Macbeth, how frightening!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I do enjoy your writing and photography skills.

    ReplyDelete
  8. It's an Eryngium. They're amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Beautiful words, beautiful images. I do love eryngiums.
    Sarah.

    ReplyDelete
  10. A mini tornado perhaps? Gorgeous Enryngium, I wish they would grow for me.

    ReplyDelete