Have you watched the clouds this year? Have you noticed the many changes, the diverse colours, the drift And dance and jump and falling away? Have you seen The gallant scarlet, the gentle pink, the sky Black and purple and almost green and always Turning inside out, Turning and twisting and writhing and seldom still? But when it is a glory, a feast galore, It is like the rolling over of foam on the shore, It is like a mountain-range, the Alps, maybe, It is what you want to see. And what you never imagined could be, it is A glamour, a glory of air, such bold sunsets, Such risings up in the East. A folding of clouds Is kind to the eyes, is a painted lullaby. And there are few words to say why Colours and ruffs and bubbles and bold balloons Take our hearts, lift our spirits and glow In our faster-beating hearts, in our minds also. We need new words for the sky. By Elizabeth Jennings