Meteorology

Dario Beniquez

May 3, 2026

A prophet once said, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.” Science, though, says the sun is behind it all. So, who’s right? It’s hard to say.

And what about meteorologists with their mathematical models? Do they really know? They say, “Tomorrow, afternoon light showers.” But who can be sure? Sometimes their forecasts fade away, just like modern predictions about the end of the world.

We must combat the drought, the Water Company insists. As a good citizen, I turn off the sprinkler system. The next day, the ground cracks and crumbles, as if auditioning for the Mojave Desert. Perhaps the weather model had a glitch, a software bug, or the algorithm simply rebelled. Who can say?

Later, somewhere up north, a big city like Motor Town is expected to be hit by a blizzard. Instead, a gentle snow covers the ground, and at the same time, a flood of words—political and trivial—fills the air; it’s the same Kool-Aid, but purple.

Maybe early astrologers or numerologists were better at predicting events in the sky than we are today. How could the stars ever be wrong? Numbers don't lie, or do they? Sometimes things just don’t add up. Is it their fault, or was it a mistake by the person or the machine?

Who knows? Maybe a strong wind or a flare from a distant sun caused the problem. Maybe it’s just the butterfly effect. So, the curtain remains down, but the show goes on. Still, we’re here, watching the greatest show on Earth. Whatever you believe, it is written in the heavens.

Dario Beniquez grew up in Queens, NY. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BEIE. He also holds an M.F.A. from Pacific University, OR. Dario runs two poetry venues: one at the Maverick Library and the other at the Walker Ranch Senior Center in San Antonio, Texas. He is the author of the poetry collection “Zone of Silence.”