silent brilliance

the clouds tonight were as lightning bugs trapped in bedsheets. sparks of monstrous power spun through gray masses of moisture and like strobe lights lit distant roofs and tree branches leaving etched black shadows in their absence. to the west i could see the storm hovering miles away and to the east, behind me, lay a clear sky covered in blinking stars. i was struck at the disparity of the sight. how in one direction sheer hell could break loose and in the other a beautiful calm could be found. with the lightning so far from me, i couldn't hear the percussive claps of thunder; yet from it's incredible display i understood it's power. a beautiful night...