Weather – Woodsmoke and Cardamom

Soft Rain

by Lucy M. Edmunds

Soft rain is so queer and wonderful
It washes the sky all clean;
The big warm drops come tumbling down
And make the brown lawns look green.

The street is a shiny black ribbon
That somebody dropped and forgot;
The trees are like leaky umbrellas
That the rain has torn and cut.

It makes such beautiful puddles
It's too bad I can't go out;
I'd like to put my boots on
And run and splash about

And play with the soft warm raindrops,
And hear what they have to say
Perhaps they would tell me about their homes
And why they came away.

Prayer for a Rainy Day

by Lucy M. Young

Oh, hear my prayer this rainy day
And answer it, dear Lord, I pray.
The cold, gray clouds and dripping skies
Have hidden the sunshine from my eyes.

Forgive my pessimism, Lord,
Remind me of Your sacred word.
I can't be gloomy if I say,
"Dear Lord, I thank You for this day."

"This is the day that the Lord has made."
Gloom and sadness all must fade.
"Let us rejoice and be glad in it."
And make the most of every minute.

The Lord sends rain as well as sun;
His blessings fall on everyone.
Let me greet each hour with a cheerful song
And a smile to help the day along.

Gloria

by Lucy M. Young

Gloria, a very dangerous hurricane, is moving up the coast,
Leaving panic and widespread destruction in her path.
It is so quiet here -
The night is calm, no breeze is stirring -
It's difficult to realize that only hours away this vicious
          storm approaches,
Uprooting trees and flattening man-made structures.

Dear Lord, watch over us we pray.
Protect the birds and all Your little creatures.
Keep safe their homes and ours;
And just as You controlled the wind and waves on Galilee,
So, Lord, control the fierceness of this storm.
Alter her course and send her screaming out to sea
Away from land and people.
Let her vent her rage upon the open ocean
Where nothing no one can be harmed;
And soothe her mindless fury with Your quiet voice.

Early Snowstorm

by Lucy M. Young

It had been warm that fall,
There had been very little frost.
The grass was lush and green in all the meadows.
The leaves, 'though shot with gold and scarlet,
Clung tightly to the branches,
And by Columbus Day, the farmers had not yet brought home 
the young stock
From the summer pasture on the mountain.

That night, October twelfth, without warning it turned cold.
The clouds built up with ominous intent.
A strong, cold north wind whistled 'round the chimneys
and the windows,
Then snowflakes started falling thick and fast.

All night it snowed.
The wind piled drifts of snow around the buildings.
The roads were clogged, we huddled in our homes.
Our thoughts and prayers were ever with the cattle 
on the mountain
With only trees for shelter from the storm.

At daybreak, soon as chores were done, the farmers came together
To try to find and bring their cattle home.
All day, through snowy woods and drifts, they searched the frigid mountain;
We waited and we worried and we prayed.

Long after dark we heard them coming through the frozen darkness;
'Though wet and cold and hungry, they were safe.
Not one was lost, they all came safely home.
We knew our prayers were answered -
God had been upon the mountain
And kept them safe throughout the stormy night.

Autumn

by Lucy M. Young

photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash

The leaves are turning gold and crimson,
Sure sign that summer's drying,
Asters and chrysanthemums are blooming everywhere;
Spreading apple trees and grapevines
Laden with their ripening bounty
Of luscious fruit, their perfume fills the air.
Flocking birds are swiftly gathering,
Daily feeding on the plenitude
Of seeds and berries in the woods and fields.
Days are bright and warm and sunny,
Nights are clear and cool and frosty,
The air is crisp and clean like sparkling wine;
Drinking deeply of their vintage 
We're with grateful hearts rejoicing
In the glory of the Master's great design.

The Thunderstorm

by Lucy M. Young

It moved in slowly from the West
Stealthily obscuring the sun.
The blue sky disappeared behind the dark and threatening clouds.
Lightning streaked across the blackness,
Thunder rolled and muttered,
Darkness deepened
Turning day to deepest twilight,
Evening shades beneath the trees.
Then came the rain -
A drenching, roaring deluge upon the parched dry earth.
The thirsty plants accepted it
And lifted grateful leaves like hands to God.
Reluctantly the storm released its grip upon the humid atmosphere
And drifted slowly on beyond the mountain

Rain in the Night

by Lucy M. Young

Soft and soothing,
Sleep-inducing -
   Quiet music in the night;
Window-spattering,
Softly pattering -
   Gentle showers in the night.

Ripping, tearing,
Lightning flaring,
   Causing sudden, chilling fright;
Heavy downpour,
Deafening roar,
   Thundershowers in the night.

Softer, glaring,
Soothing, scaring,
   No matter how the rain may fall;
Tame or wild,
Rough or mild,
   Earth gratefully absorbs it all.

Sun and rain,
Joy and pain,
   Into each life some rain must fall;
The Lord of love,
High above,
   Guides us gently through it all.


photo by Valentin Muller on Unsplash