Electrical Storm: (notes from my lunar insomnia)

Last night, we had a thunderstorm here like you wouldn’t believe, and because It’s still a full moon, for all intents and purposes, I passed a very sleepless night. The sky cracked with energy and moisture as I lay awake in our hot, hot muggy room, both of us naked with the sheets thrown completely off. Finally, unable to lie alone with my thoughts any longer, I got up and went to the couch to read. I spritzed on some Dzonkha, and the dry smoke/cardamom/incense/and dirt, my cat Oliver, and I all sat down together, waiting for the storm to break…..

U2’s song “Electrical Storm” kept spinning through my tired head:

The sea is swells like a sore head
and the night it is aching
Two lovers lie with no sheets on their bed
and the day it is breaking
On rainy days we go swimming out
on rainy days, swimming in the sound
On rainy days we go swimming out

You're in my mind all of the time
I know that's not enough
if the sky can crack
there must be some way back
for love and only love
……
It's hot as hell, honey in this room
sure hope the weather will break soon
the air is heavy, heavy as a truck
hope the rain will wash away our bad luck

I like U2 sometimes; sometimes Bono’s Napoleonic antics irritate the hell out of me, but I can’t think of a better song for such a sleepless night charged with the universe’s angry energy.

************

I always thought the thunder god must be a lonely man, throwing around those thunderbolts in his bootless rage….

*****************

MY hometown was hit by a massive tornado a few days ago—I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. I feel very grateful that my family lives on the other side of town.

 

There is no sense of danger more elemental, no fear more atavistic, than that called forth by an angry sky, nature’s most horrifying sign.  

CREDITS: Image of thunderstorm from http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/nssl/nssl0050.htm

Goyen’s “The Thunderstorm” courtesy of Wikimedia Commons