Dust Storms
Mountains of menace
mantled the moon’s-way,
And dust-clouds rose
to darken the horizon.
They overtook cars
and out-ran trains;
Airplanes fell
from the endless sky.
Fires danced
on farmers’ fences,
And batteries burst
into balls of lightning.
Kine and coursers
were killed where they stood,
Shocked out of life
by the shining of the storm.
Turnips and potatoes
were torn to pieces,
The five grains, and maize,
caught aflame where they stood,
Pease and pulse
were pulverized in an instant,
Beans and bulbs
were burnt to ashes.
Sand devoured
the soft rich loam;
Black soil churned
into barren redness.
None could distinguish
night and day;
The weather-world
wore a Western mourning.
The sullied rivers
grew sluggish and slimed;
Dust fell like snow
on the decks of ships.