Yesterday's Clouds

Yesterday's Clouds 

As we headed west during yesterday’s run

Clouds in the sky got our attention.

Most often on runs at that early hour

It is clouds in the east that have that power.

Often times purple and sometimes blue

Against a pink and pastel-y hue

Of the sunrise over the reservoir

Or over the water in the harbor.

But yesterday the entire bank of clouds

Seemed like it stood still and stood out

And the break between the clouds and sky

Was cleaner that anything that had ever caught my eye.

To the north and directly above us, light blue

Looking further west then, a darker hue.

The sky not yet fully lit by the sun

Given how early we’d met for our run.

And then to the south of the blue shades

Was a sharp white line at the edge

Of a cloud bank extended as far as I

Could see to the south in the morning sky

And beyond that sharp line was mostly gray

For a cloudy start to a busy day.

The edge between the clouds and clear

Was sharp and fine and not a smear

That one often sees with wispy clouds

That do not have lines that make them stand out.

And besides making a comment about the sky

I did have a question in my mind

Wondering what else might be as clear

Was there something far or something near

That I had been pondering for some time

Seeking to make reason or rhyme

Of something that otherwise seemed not to make sense

That might suddenly come off the fence

Of balancing in uncertainty

And instead be clear for me to see.

Or perhaps that wasn’t the meaning of what I saw

Maybe it wasn’t a sign at all

Maybe it was just a random event

A glimpse of clarity for a moment

To simply remind me to clear my brain

So that I can better ascertain

The answer to questions that float in my mind

The ultimately depend on my having the time

To sketch, to ponder, and sort out

What each one is truly all about

The world is not here to provide clarity

If anyone will make sense—it must be me.

The world provides so much from which to choose

But only I can choose to win and not to lose

Whatever happens I can learn and grow

That is the one thing I clearly know.

As clear as the line in the clouds yesterday

Reminding me to find clarity in my way.