I was unbearably hot,

Body heat radiating from my bare skin,

Until the evening brought the clouds.

I stood at the window after nightfall,

Saw the violent violet sky

Ripple gray,

An echo of intense white lights

Reflected on polished streets,

Heard the rhythm of the rain,

Felt one brother raindrop

Burst through the window

To kiss my forehead—

And was one with the storm.

Sandra Ulbrich started her writing career in high school, when she made up her own lyrics to songs. She soon graduated to writing sonnets, villanelles, and free verse. After obtaining her bachelor's degree in molecular biology/English and a Master of Technical and Scientific Communication degree, she worked as a teaching assistant, a science writing intern at the National Cancer Institute, a technical writer, and a proofreader. She is currently a lab technician at an enyzme-producing company. In addition to writing poetry, Sandra has also written a fantasy novel called Day of All Seasons, which has been submitted for publication. She is currently writing a sequel, called Fifth Season. When not writing, Sandra enjoys listening to classic rock (especially the Beatles), reading, gaming, attending cons, and chatting with her friends.