The Night the Sky Broke Open

Lightning shattered the quiet like broken glass,

spilling over the roof in jagged white veins.

Rain hammered the windows—a staccato

that pinned me to this restless bed.

Each thunderclap was a fist pounding,

trying to wake me from the sticky dark.

The air smelled sharp—wet earth and electricity

charging the cramped air like a held breath.

Outside, the world was drowning

and inside, I counted the seconds

between the cracks,

wondering which would come first,

silence or ruin.