Dust Before the Storm

The warning didn’t come

with sirens or lights.

It came quietly,

a shift in the air,

a stillness settling

like dust before a storm.

The horses grew restless,

pacing the fence line,

ears toward something

I could not yet see.

Even the cows

lifted their heads,

watching the horizon

as if it held

an answer I refused.

The stubborn goats

tested the gate,

leaning until the latch

rattled with insistence.

Still, I ignored it,

the unease in my chest,

the quiet truth

waiting at the edge of thought.

Sometimes we ignore,

not because we cannot see,

but because we hope

it will pass us by.

Reviews

[Brandon Houser]

The lesson at the end is one for everyone to ponder.
The visuals here are powerful, and the final stanza gives it some extra layers.
An interesting painting for this morning. Wonderfully penned, of course. I refuse to believe you are capable of writing anything that isn't.

[Curly Grace]

I appreciate that, Brandon. This one was about listening to the quiet warnings we often try to ignore. I'm grateful you saw the layers in it. And now I suppose I have to keep writing, just to make sure you never catch me slipping. :)

[John Sullivan]

My first guess was a tornado, but we don't get those in my corner of the country. Or many horses, or goats. For me the image was of a slice of life of a place so different than where I live, but so alive in the words. A tense but wonderfully written moment.

[Curly Grace]

Thank you, John. I love that it carried you somewhere different. Place shapes us, and sometimes a moment on the page is enough to bridge worlds.

[John Sullivan]

Exactly right. The pleasure was mine as the reader, and all I can say is thank you for sharing. I see others are reading a metaphorical depth I missed for the image presented... THAT is the hallmark of good poetry. Very well done.

[Desert Knave]

This is kind of intense. I am one of those people who does not cope well with storms, and often the warning is no more than the popping of the ears. And, yeah, animals always know better than us when the storm is coming. ~Jim

[Curly Grace]

Jim, I get that completely. Storms have their own language, and animals always seem to hear it first. I’m glad the tension resonated with you.

[John the Baptist]

The last verse depicts well a self defeating human tendency, denial. The animals, symbolizing the warnings of the senses, knew something was amiss. The reasoning mind, however, chose to ignore what was a real danger.

[Curly Grace]

oops, I posted my reply to Jim here first lol sorry John. Anyhow...Thank you as well. You read the heart of it, that quiet denial we all slip into. I appreciate the way you framed it.

[Davidgeo]

Are you familiar with a show named Westworld? not the book or the movie, the hbo show. I think the first season was fantastic, it really fell off after that but... oh that first season was spectacular. Anyway, this poem reminded me of Doris having a random memory flashback for some reason.

[Curly Grace]

I haven’t watched Westworld, but I really like the image you described. That sense of a memory surfacing uninvited is something I think poetry tries to reach for. I’ll have to look that up and see what you’re talking about. I always appreciate your little suggestions, though... the lighthouse one was a cool one.

[Davidgeo]

It's really good for one season, the cast the writing the effects... it's all done extremely well. But they probably should've ended it after the first season. The second season isn't that bad but, it's a precipitous drop-off. I refuse to address what they chose to do with the other seasons... hbo ruined something beautiful.

[Jane Cascade]

Wow eerily reminds me of this morning. Awake just after sunrise, the sounds, the animals up on the hill near me, the weather, something in the air. Very current writing and intriguing with the feeling you put in this. I feel as though your words are just on the cusp of my awareness. I really enjoyed reading and the powerful emotions it evoked inside.

[Curly Grace]

That’s a really thoughtful read of it. I see why it came through that way. It’s more than just underlying tension when things look normal but aren’t quite right beneath the surface.