Mark Forrester
Storm Clouds
The day has been hot and hectic. Bicycling up and down our small street. Baseball in one yard, football in another. Running along a low stone wall hidden in the woods. Swinging from a vine on the side of the hill.
I burst in through the kitchen door. Looking in the refrigerator, I am pleased to see a jug of cold water waiting for me. I pour a tall glass and refill the jug—so helpful!—from the kitchen tap.
I take a big gulp from my glass, then spit it out into the sink. I dump the glass into the sink as well, startled by the taste of white wine.
There is a small window above the sink that looks out over our driveway, our backyard, the shaded woods beyond…
summer rain—
once it begins
it is over
About the Author
Mark Forrester has taught English at the University of Maryland for 30 years. He is a high school dropout, a former chef, and a husband, father, and grandfather. Mark’s two chapbooks, The World Disappears (2021) and Dreamer’s Moon (2024), were published by Buddha Baby Press.