Clouds

Sometimes soft, as a puff of smoke
Vague as a gauzy silk-white cloak
A dollop of gooey, sweet meringue
Or whipped cream that seems to hang
in the sky, just floating by,
drifting past in a hazy dream
its slow, soft movements barely seen.

Sometimes grey like an elephant’s back
or a dying fire’s smoky ash
or split by a crazy lightning flash
a snap and a crack,
a thunderous clash
a gash of light,
a torrential crash.

Sometimes a tablecloth, blanket, or sheet
Sometimes heavy with rain, snow or sleet
with no gaps for light, no glimpse of blue
no space for sunshine to break through.

Sometimes in a surprising shape
a dolphin, a face, a huge great bear
a dinosaur, sea horse, a duck or a hare
Just look at that one,
just look over there!

Cumulus, stratus, nimbus
Cirrostratus, altostratus
The seat of the gods in Olympus
away from the world and its rumpus.
On frescoes in churches and ceilings
Where cherubs and angels are
doing their dealings, exchanging
kisses and hugs and love
in the white mists and swirls
of the clouds up above.

Just look at that one,
Look over there!

There’s so much to see
in the clouds in the air.