Windy Nights

Whenever the moon and stars are set,
Whenever the wind is high,
All night long in the dark and wet,
A man goes riding by.
Late in the night when the fires are out,
Why does he gallop and gallop about?

Whenever the trees are crying aloud,
And ships are tossed at sea,
By, on the highway, low and loud,
By at the gallop goes he.
By at the gallop he goes, and then
By he comes back at the gallop again.

From A Child's Garden of Verses
Robert Louis Stevenson / Illustration by Alice and Martin Provensen

Just now as I type this , the wind is blowing consistently and the yellow, red, brown and green leaves are coming down - it literally appears to be raining leaves. I have always rather enjoyed the wind - the way it makes the leaves look like they're dancing, and even the howling through a chimney. But I'm also seeing it in a different light after experiencing Disneyland with the fierce Santa Ana winds last Sunday, the day the terrible fires began. It can be very frightening, as well.