I’ve Looked At Clouds From Both Sides Now

Do you ever look for certain shapes in clouds? I never did, really, until this year. Now, I look for elephants. It started at the cemetery. Every time I go, which, oddly, is more frequently now than at first, there isn’t a cloud in the sky but, pretty soon, one appears and it is in the exact shape of an elephant. Trunk up, of course, because my mom said that was good luck. I watch it for awhile with mixed feelings. I’ve noticed this a few other places now, when I’m out running, having a particularly tough time, I will look up and see one. I told one of my brothers this and he didn’t say much about it. My brothers are as different as night and day so you generally get 3 different reactions to anything you say. I coerce them into doing all kinds of stuff. For some big birthday party thing, I talked them into wearing red rubber boots and holding plastic shovels and singing this song by The Red Boot Boys (a tape found in a van, back when you had tapes and vans) called Dig a Little Deeper in the Well.” Still can’t believe they did that, but it was hilarious! Last month, I told them we were all meeting at the cemetery, for the one year anniversary of my mom’s death, to have a toast and sing Lean On Me. They are never sure who has agreed to these things and who hasn’t, so they usually cave to imaginary peer pressure. Sure enough, when I got there, one of them was already there, leaning against his car, looking up at the sky. “What’cha doing?” I asked. “Looking for elephant clouds.” I looked up and there was a perfect one.

Rows and floes of angel hair And ice cream castles in the air And feather canyons everywhere I’ve looked at clouds that way……… Joni Mitchell