Even Clouds Have Lives
By John Herlihy

Even clouds have lives, however brief;
These pillows of the heavens experience real grief.
They shed tears of rain across a thirsty land;
They move in clusters by the wind’s billowy fan.
They move with all the grace of a floating swan,
Ignoring the lily pads as they glide across the pond.
They create a world that seems to imitate our own;
Indeed, the appearance of a rainbow seems homegrown.
They hurl flashes of lightning in the form of a spear,
Instilling in our tender hearts a moment of fear.
No need to listen when they decide to thrill;
Their thunder echoes until they have had their fill.
They grumble as they haul their confection in tow,
These clouds seem impervious to the world here below.
When and how they are born nobody knows;
They appear out of nowhere to disturb our repose;
Then disappear without a word into celestial groves.