The Mating of Earth and Sky

The twisting arc of lightning kissed the Earth,
  A soothing stroke of probing heat and light.
The wind perused the trees and swept the stones,
  As scent of moisture soaked the nighting air,
  The ancient mating of the Earth and Sky.

A stronger wind, with sound and force increased,
  Came to embrace the dry and ready ground,
To press and pull with airy hands again
  At hill and paling dust, at grass and stone,
  The ancient mating of the Earth and Sky.

Then soft the drops did fly, air-thrown to ground
  To lightly tantalize the Earth's bare skin,
The seeping, spreading, wat'ry touch of rain
  Infused itself within the green and brown,
  The ancient mating of the Earth and Sky.

Then thunder lay upon the bed, to roll
  Between the Earth and Sky, the beating heart
And sounded breath composed between the two,
  Spontaneous pulsation, lightning-spawned,
  The ancient mating of the Earth and Sky.

The air then whipped the Earth, its pow'r
  Insisting rain to take unto itself
The ground, to splendor-soak the fields, the leaves,
  The darkened air, the waiting, dusty paths,
  The ancient mating of the Earth and Sky.

The flashes came to split the sky, their force
  With surges deep and great impulse and fire,
Exploding rock and tree, and blazing soil.
  Their impact then resounded, sharp and quick,
  The ancient mating of the Earth and Sky.

Then, flowing fleet as silk within the hand,
  The storm withdrew, and, satisfied, returned
Again to nothingness, to resurrect
  When life and death suspend their state to breathe
  The ancient mating of the Earth and Sky.

Copyright © 2004 by Andrew Stephen Damick