The Performance

• Jess Balthazaar, Grade 9, Central Coast Grammar School
• Poetry
• 2012

1st in the 'Legendary 2012' competition

Dark clouds saunter across the sky, slowly taking over the expanse of blue.
They begin to grumble and mutter in irritation.
The rain tiptoes up behind you, whispering softly – it takes to the stage,
Tap-dancing on the roof, while the clouds play marbles in the sky,
And lightning bolts race to reach the ground.
The trees rustle their leaves in time,
And the wind howls an eerie melody.
The performance ends without your noticing,
Not needing to be seen.
Inside, the flames dance and the fireplace gives its crackly applause.
The trees fall asleep, worn out from the excitement.
The clouds take a leisurely stroll out of sight,
The only traces of the symphony that ended so abruptly are the puddles of water:
Perfectly invisible until the odd droplet flees from the gutter, and startles the pool.
All you were aware of was the crashing of the marbles,
Now even the thunderclaps have fallen asleep.