Rain and Hail

The sun was shining with all its might,
The day was bright and gay;
When, all at once, from no-where-land
Came clouds black and grey;
And, lo behold, as never before
It started to rain and hail.

Where minutes ago it was dry, hot land,
Now, all at once, rivers began to flow;
Though the time was half-past-four
It was dark as dusk all over;
Where there was not a sound to hear,
It suddenly started to roar.

The rain and hail poured as if
Bullets from the air;
Forcing everyone out there
To take shelter in some lair;
And trees that stood tall and straight
Bowed down to the air.

The fury with which it all started
Would have made many a people dread;
But, in five minutes all was over,
The place was as quiet as dead;
In minutes chaos was created
And itself put back to rest.

--Sarit Guha Thakurta

Epilogue: Written after a hailstorm in Zurich