Wednesday, June 03, 2009

At 5:54 am, local time...

And I'll call down thunder and speak the same
As my voice fills the sky with flame
Might and glory gonna be my name
And they'll light my way
--- The Grateful Dead, "Estimated Prophet"

Nobody left word at the front desk, but they decided to help us out. At 5:54 am we were shocked awake by two extraordinary thunderclaps. I'm a heavy sleeper but there was no way to avoid these things - they weren't just booms, they were straight from a Norse Epic. They deserved Jack Kirby captions across the sky - "K-K-RRRR-AAA-CK-ARRROOOMMM" or something. They were like portents, one immediately following the other, both unbelieveably crisp and clear, perfectly enunciated strikes. The accompanying lightning had to be in full Blu-Ray HD to do them justice.

They seemed to pierce literal holes in the sky: as they faded, we heard rain softly start to fall, perfectly rising in volume to replace the sound of its heralds. I've never heard anything like it before, and unless I live to hear the angels' trumpets on the last day, I don't know if I will again. It was an amazing moment, and I'm glad I was there.

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