The grounds beneath the thunder began to shake
The man fell to his knees
In the open, he began to pray
The odds of a lightning chase
Were too large to number.
His knees sank into the rain soaked ground
Dishevelled, time marched by
In a stat of fear, he tried to count his blessings,
the bounty that lay before him
His mind twisted with fear, he could see none of it
The dark wick at the back of his mind, flared
He remembered his pills
On the soak filled ground, he blessed the peace
The little white pills would bring
Within a minute, he could say let the thunder roar,
the lightning crash, he can stand now!
the cold material of his trousers clinging to his legs
the searing pain as lightning struck his back…

© Anita Dawes 2021