Georgetown After the Rain

Thousands of feet into the sky the clouds rose up, catching the color and light of the setting sun, which because of rising hills around cast a strange darkness upon the streets—where I stood in awe. Above, though, a vibrant sky glowed with reds and yellows against a bold, bold blue. The contrast with the blackness around was surreal, made more so as the street lamps flickered on. The storm had passed through quickly. It brought sheets of rain raking across the pavement. Now it was clear. The air was fresh and cooled, almost relieved after a day of sopping humidity. I kept walking down the street. A flood of water rushed along the granite corner pieces of the sidewalks and then into the sewer drains. I followed it all—the clouds, the water, the weather, all south. Within minutes, it faded into murky purples and grays, then black. But for a moment, the world was on fire, right after the rain.