Terzanelle in Thunderweather & Others

"A winter's thunder's a summer's wonder."

This is the moment when the shadows gather
Under the elms, the cornices and eaves.
This is the silent heart of thunderweather.

The birds are quiet now among the leaves
Where wind stutters, then moves steadily
Under the elms, the cornices and eaves -

These are our voices speaking guardedly
About the sky, about the sheets of lightning
Where wind stutters, then moves steadily

Into our lungs, across our lips, tightening
Our throats. Our eyes speak in the dark
About the sky, about the sheets of lightning

Illuminating moments. In the stark
Shades that we inhabit there are no words
For our throats. Our eyes speak in the dark

Of things we cannot say, cannot ignore.
This is the moment when the shadows gather,
Shades that we inhabit. There are no words -
This is the silent heart of thunderweather.

Original publication: Modern Poetry Studies, iii:5, 1973.
Included in The Collected Lyrics of Lewis Turco / Wesli Court 1953-2004, Scottsdale: Star Cloud Press, 2004. (www.StarCloudPress.com).