The Seasons of Seth

You are in the firts frost of the year,

crisp and pristine on the grass

under a cold clear sky

clearing the fog,

inciting the rambler to wander

You are un the late summer storms

sudden and fierce, breaking the heat,

roaring with water and thunder

and hail as big as grapes

scattering crowds,

and I watch from the window in awe

the fury and the beauty of the day.

You are in the autumn downpours,

in the manic joy of playing

out on the pitch, soaked to the skin,

heart pumping, feet slipping,

in the childish elation of skidding,

slipping, tackling, falling,

of going home like warriors,

painted with mud instead of blood.

You are in the Southern Wind,

bringing sand from your desert kingdom

to let it rain in dusty drops

from clouds that colour the dusk

in orange hues like an omen,

in the yellow snow that fell

from blood-red clouds

that day we were translating Homer

at school, and we all stopped and gaped,

awestruck with wonder.

You are in the gale,

mauling trees, scattering branches,

in the wind that tears and rends,

and threatens the ships

foolish enough to defy your wrath,

in the walls of water

that rise from the sea

and that daring folks brave

with flimsy boards and coloured sails

soaring, jumping, gliding,

in a moment of perfect,

glorious madness,

and the crash of the surf is your laughter,

sharing their breathless glee.

You are in the snow falling thick,

in the disruptions,

in the grit-covered roads,

in the closed schools,

in the chaos,

in the first step onto the candid ground,

in the snowball fights in the schoolyards,

in the black bin bags turned into sledges,

in the ice that slips underfoot,

in the frozen hands that sting and burn,

in the daily life turned into an adventure,

changed and challenging,

just for one fleeting day.

You are in the frozen rain that stings the eye,

in the lightning that splits the sky,

in the flash-flood,

in the power outage,

in the wrecked brollies

and in the waterlogged shoes,

in the unexpected,

in the uncontrollable

in all things mighty and wild.

Dua Seth, Lord of the Sky!