The Fujiwhara Effect

"When two hurricanes spinning in the same direction pass close enough to each other, they begin an intense dance around their common center. If one hurricane is a lot stronger than the other, the smaller one will orbit it and eventually come crashing into its vortex to be absorbed." - National Weather Service

I swirl a skirt of clouds. You bow.
I’m Anne of Austria, wearing lightning like a strand
of diamond studs. You’re Louis, the jealous king.
You circle behind me to count the gems
but I keep my face to you. Round and round we go
our ballroom, the whole Pacific Ocean.

Squall lines follow us, the whole sky entrained
into a great whirlpool, a spiral, a galaxy.
The Sun King’s court, thronged with courtiers
like lesser stars. Your followers and mine
stare and whisper while we revolve at arm’s length
in decaying orbit; closer and closer until we touch.

Only one will survive that meeting.

Books Available
The Day of My First Driving Lesson
Country Well-Known as an Old Nightmare's Stable
High-Voltage Lines
Knocking from Inside