Clouds get in your way?

The World Series has been won (and lost). It's time for the boys of Summer to take their toys and put them away until next Spring. This morning I caught a glimpse of blue sky that cheered me mightily. Most of the time, though, the clouds look more like they're threatening snow than rain. I'm trying to sort out if it's the quality of the light, the clouds, both, other that seems to transform Summer skies that look like rain to Autumn or Winter skies that look like they're full of flakes. And sometimes, in fact often, threatening clouds do nothing but.

rain clouds? snow clouds? mixed?

Photo by J. Harrington

When was the last time you lay on your back and decided what the clouds looked like? Don't you think it's time to try that again? After all, if it weren't for clouds, we wouldn't have sunrises like this one.

a cloud-enhanced sunrise

Photo by J. Harrington

Joni Mitchell sings about so many things I would have done, but clouds got in my way. That's probably true for many of us, including me all too often, but I'm slowly beginning to realize how insubstantial clouds really are. In fact, I've heard that sometimes they even have a silver lining, even if only to provide an opportunity to take a nap or to remember to listen to Simon and Garfunkle's version of Cloudy. And, I have it on very good authority that, no matter how cloudy the outlook after next Tuesday's elections, the world is unlikely to end no matter who wins or loses. Ralph Salisbury's Six Prayers should cover us.

Six Prayers

By Ralph Salisbury 

Thunderer     God of the turbulent sky     may

my turbulent mind shape

for my people

rain clouds

beans

pumpkins

and yams.

East Spirit

Dawn Spirit     may

birds awaken in

the forest of teeth

whose river     your color     must say

frozen mountains’

prayer that you

will loosen them.

Spirit of the North

whose star is our

white mark

like the blaze we chop in the black bark

where the trail home

divides

even in

our homes

we need

you to guide.

Spirit of the Sunset West

may gray clouds

hiding friends from me

glow

like yours

that we grope

toward each other through

a vivid rose.

Spirit of the South

direction of

warm wind

warm rain

and the winter sun

like a pale painting of a morning glory

help me     Spirit     that in my mind humble things

a man may give to his child may grow

the blue of berry

orange of squash

crimson of radish

yellow of corn

when the green of even the tallest pine

is wolf tooth white.

Spirit of the Earth

keeper of Mother Father

Sister Brother

loved ones all

once praying

as I pray

or in some other way

Spirit     the black dirt

is like the black cover of

a book whose words

are black ink I can

not read

but I place my brown hand

on snow

and pray that more than snow

may melt.

********************************************
Thanks for visiting. Come again when you can.
Please be kind to each other while you can.