The Song of Summer
A poem by Judi Brannan Armbruster

The Song of Summer

The song of a summer thunderstorm
Begins with red sky dawn
Then wind rises with the sun
Chimes respond in chorus
Soon enough the crackle of lightning
And the percussion of thunder
In a deep bass rumble
The first drops a staccato on the awning
Then the steady tempo of a heavy downpour
A phone alert sings a coda
My street runs full, high and swift
Washing away the corner of my plot
Down, down drowning all in its path
Lightning is close now
Worrying the tall pines and scaring the cat
As a child I learned to count the seconds between flash and rumble
Five seconds meaning a mile
Some do not even make that five
Torrential monsoons called “gulley washers”
Too hard to soak in
They fill the town lakes and relieve drought
Always  welcome in this desert home
Always welcome

About the Author:

Judi Brannan Armbruster, 74, Karuk direct descendant has been writing since childhood.  She published a small book of poetry to celebrate turning 60, which is the name of the book. https://www.amazon.com/Sixty-60-Judi-Brannan-Armbruster/dp/1979683808

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