Deliverance

The stifling shroud that
Hangs in the summer air
Brings burden to even
The simplest of acts.

Breaths come with difficulty,
As if drawn through plastic wrap.
Suddenly, the skies darken
And bring nature's merciful fury.

The air cools and a breeze
Rustles through the trees,
Turning leaves over, exposing
Their pale underbellies.

This breeze, pregnant
With the scent of distant
Lakes, holds the promise
Of cool, wet relief.

Grape sized drops at first.
One, then another ... Sploosh,
Sploosh. Drops get smaller,
Falling now in raging sheets.

The breeze, now a cool, driving
Wind thrashes branches about
As the booming clap of Mother
Earth calls all to her relief.

I stand, arms outstretched
And head thrown back
In thanks as I am drenched
In her deliverance.