First Acts

This is the emotional time of year when passions run high and nature throws her dramatic fits due to all the farewells that are happening everywhere. Goodbye flower petals, goodbye butterfly wings, goodbye warm air kisses. This time of year is filled with rushed goodbyes.

An angry front of cooler air that had brought a gray hello moved in last week. It was preceded by the most exciting swirls of dark clouds, some hung high and others were gray and feathery and just grazed the tops of the trees. This storm was silent. Even the lower part of the dramatic winds only moved the low hanging clouds and did not bend branches or toss their leaves. The leaves that still had a strong grip shivered ever so slightly as if in excited anticipation of the powerful event yet to come. The sun was shoved abruptly behind the horizon as bright stage lighting was not needed for this drama. There were no special effects such as thunder and lightning. Only the power of the air moving like a giant invisible hand pushing up high.

I stood barefoot on the dock and shivered myself, although not from any cold, because the air temperature was still very nice. No birds, no fish, no wildlife hung about to welcome this first act. I was alone in the audience.