Word of the Day: Bonfire
For about ten seconds I considered making a bonfire to honor the word of the day. But since there was 98% humidity and the temperature was in the 90s, I quickly dismissed the concept of building a fire in favor of a cool shower, a sleeveless nightgown and a hope that the promised storm would rumble on through bringing with it cooler air.
From my Midwestern childhood, I well remember the summer build-up to a big storm. The air gets heavier and heavier. People get cross. The sky turns a sickly greenish yellow. But then, finally come the black clouds, thunder, lightning, torrents of rain, maybe the tornado siren, and finally your reward for the multiple day insufferable wait: blessed coolness.
I do know that storms cause damage. One June when I was in high school, lightning struck a tree on the other side of the block and a roaring inferno leveled the adjacent house. It was a real mystery how the flames could burn so hot while the rain was so heavy you could hardly see through it. And I’ve seen pictures of the devastation caused by tornados.
But when houses aren’t being leveled by fire or wind, those Midwestern storms are so wild and exciting. If I tell someone who lives here in the mid-Atlantic that I miss those storms, however, the inevitable response is, “We have wild storms too. And hurricanes.” I can’t argue with a hurricane, but I’m sorry, you don’t have wild storms. Even if a heavy downpour passes through with thunder and lightning, it’s hardly what I would call wild. And there is no coolness following the rain, just extra humidity for the summer heat.
We’ve all had these moments, haven’t we? I’m not talking about watching burning houses or being hot. I’m talking about the moments where you know something to be true and your interlocutor knows something contradictory to be true…and has as much conviction as you do. Let’s see, how far can I stretch storms as an image to describe what happens when two opposing convictions meet? Some possibilities are listed above.
p.s. also for get-pushed challenge form Marci
@melston to define subject using very narrow depth of field. Not really sure that the house isn't the subject here, but the picture was taken in trying to figure out distances that would allow non-subject in background to still show up as what they are...
