Tonight's Sky
An upside down fire
hangs on the horizon.
Drops of splattering rain
cannot put it out.
A setting sun provides the darkness
to douse the feisty flames,
and billowing clouds of cumulus smoke
rise against the evening sky.
On my way home from work tonight, I had to pull over and watch the sunset. The bottom of the smaller clouds were whisps of hot color, reds and oranges aimed downward like flames in reverse. Like brillant burning coals, the clouds darkened as the sun disappeared. Soon, I was left with the vision of darker plumes of smoke rising into the twilight. I grabbed a crinkled paper bag on the passenger's seat and penned the above poem. It needs work, but the rough draft catches the feeling of the moment.
