The mind plays tricks and has difficulty making sense of things it has not seen before. For instance, in the days before we had electricity at home, at night we managed without an artificial light in places we knew well. Except on the night in question. On that night I popped into the bathroom without the aid of a lantern and I bumped into an unfamiliar damp body standing in my way. It terrified me someone else was in there with me. I ran from the room without saying as much as, “Pardon”. Later, I returned with a lantern only to see the silent visitor was nothing more than a damp coat hanging in my usual path.
This week, in full daylight, the experience was unique. The sky formed one long continuous cloud unlike anything I had seen before. Trying to make sense of it, because it stretched across the sky from horizon to horizon, it appeared as if the clouds had piled one upon another in formation. They really had, but the visual effect was as if they were ridges left on a sandy beach when the tide ebbs.
Some others said it was a chem-trail left by a jet flying overhead. Perhaps it could have been, except as the clouds were forming we had a sudden change in the air. Trees swayed in the wind, Things blew over, and doors blew shut. We had a weather experience. This prompted me to think I could put my reality into verse, and I tried to do it for a few days starting with these lines.
“The daft beach in an upturned world
wrapped in ribbons unfurled
building like gifts for a Christmas tree.”
I gave up because as I wrote more the harder it was to explain. To the best of my knowledge, (secondary school learning) these were altocumulus clouds. What has helped further was searching the bureau of metrology site for an explanation? If I am correct, they were altocumulus lenticular clouds. They form in fast moving air. On days like this, the wind can blow through the clouds at different levels.
Later that evening, and miles from Mitchelton where I saw them we had cumulus clouds like these
If I am wrong please, add your comments and correct me.
Inshore Cassandra 