Semiprecious Moment

Twilight leaves a darker stub
Of rainbow on the mesa,
A saturated prism
Sunk in opalescent clouds.

People are pulling over,
Stopping on the road’s shoulder
And hopping out of their cars
To get a good photograph.

The cliffs turn a garnet red,
The dark rainbow appears more
Ominous than promising.
Lightning plays at the edges.

The shoulder’s now lined with cars,
Almost none left on the road.
Everyone wants that picture,
The best one, the one that’s rare.

And then the sun goes. It’s dark
And raining harder. The cliffs
Are only shadows. The cars
Are back to following road.