2002-04-28 - 1:30 a.m.
I looked up at the darkened sky
aimlessly searching for the north star.
But the clouds hung heavily that night.
shutting out my inspiration,
my hope.
Even the gentle light of the moon was hidden beneath that canopy of gloom.
The icy wind bit at my face and hands,
but danced playfully with the colored leaves at my feet.
A dance more urgent with every gust.
The forest echoed with its howl,
Wilder, more horrifying with every passing moment.
Then, I felt a single drop of water brush against my nose.
Unconsiously, I brushed it away.
But another followed the first,
and another
untill the rain was pounding at my face,
and I surrendered to it.
It seaped through my body,
soaking my hair
and staining my cheeks like tears.
A bolt of lightning shook the heavens,
bringing me back to reality.
I ran for cover
and huddled, shivering beneath the arms of the nearest tree.
I don't know how long I sat there,
beneath that ancient oak.
When I awoke, the raging wind had long since cease to blow.
The last of the sweetwater dripped lazily from the barren trees, and their vibrant leaves
lay dead upon the forest floor.
