Storm Curtains

The sky was tossed in waves of gray; a curtain for locking in the light, while a tiny sun sailed forth into the center of the storm. The mountains below seemed so small, and deep within the valley mouth, another front was coming through. All about the wind swirled around, carrying sound and shout through the air of afternoon. And along the ledges of the cliffs, I crouched, battered by the wind from the south , and pressed into the rock while descending there. Yet the terrible beauty that buffeted me, rolling and tossing like an angry sea, made me feel most alive. I looked up once more and glanced through the window of the sky, where a space of soft rays blended with the sun. The curtains of cloud folded around the light; a hungry mouth shutting like a giant clam around the earth and sky.