Cloudy Evening

A goodhearted soul
pulls over, asking me
if I would like a ride
No, thank you
I say
They glance skeptically
at the cloudy sky
and at me
before shrugging
and driving away
I don't have time
to tell the it's because
I love the way the clouds
gentle and silver
the evening light
lending the shadows
a softness
they don't find in day
and giving the flowers
a glow
they can't reveal before the sun
I can't explain
That I love the sound and feel
of the wind
How the air cushions every noise
and offers it
the gentlest voice of quiet
They don't stay long enough
for me to say
That I love the way
the cloudy evening
wraps around me
As though God
is swaddling me
in the softest blanket
He can contrive
to give me
peace and rest
and a still, sweet, simple joy