Sitting on my porch
After an evening rain,
I hear thunder pass away
As birds renew their song.

I'm reminded of another
Porch with broader views,
With my father and my mother,
Where the only sounds we hear
Are chickadees and whip-poor-wills-

No sirens, trucks or dogs
(or only very few).

After evening falls
And extinguishes the light,
The "ka-dunk" of the frogs
Reveals the utter stillness
Of the star-drenched night.

Christopher Brooks, May 2004