Short Essay Now and Then

NOW AND THEN:

Darkness plagues the sky as the distant sun retreats behind the vast archipelago of clouds. Rain dropping like sheets of concrete, pounding the mud littered paddock. The clouds released a tremendous lightning strike illuminating the sky as if it were the 5th of November. The cattle’s wailing becomes drowned by the wind slapping the face of the metal roofing on the old flimsy farm house. I looked out the glass panes; my vision was slightly obscured by the foggy steam that came from my mouth as I breathed heavily. I could see a vast ocean of water stretching as far as the naked eye could see, which had appeared where a once happy meadow had resided. The birds had receded from the sky back to their nest in an effort to comfort their offspring. The trees bowed at the mercy of the ruthless, relentless rage of the southerly wind. Not a single person could be seen roaming about, but who could blame them?

I step out onto the porch; the red painted timber flooring glittered brightly in the Hawkes Bay summer, blinding me for a second. I stretch out my body and let the warm summer breeze overcome me. My ears begin to tingle as the sweet sound of harmonious birds chirping flows swiftly, carried by a slight breeze out of the trees and into my ears. The delirious birds are out in their numbers dancing elaborately in the sunlit sky like ballerinas on stage under a spotlight. I turn my gaze out onto the open field, it was a sight to behold almost like a utopia. The grass was a deep green with a vast ocean of dandelions dancing in the light breeze. The content cattle were forced into shadows, cast by the old willows on the river banks, but they could not fully escape the suns rays which had penetrated through the gaps of the willows leaves. The river scintillated like a glistening diamond in the sun. The raucous dogs were waiting eagerly for their breakfast. Many of my neighbours could be seen going about their usual day. But this was no usual day. It was a pulchritudinous day.