Waiting for the Rain

Waiting for the Rain

So dry, so desperate,

gagging for relief,

the earth opens herself for you,

laid bare and vulnerable to your vagaries.

Are you coming?

The blue sky is shimmering,

relentlessly bare, but for the searing sun.

We, hot and despairing,

feel a tingle of tension.

Anticipation builds,

the earth gasps stickily,

silently oppressed.

Suddenly the rainbird warbles.

Relieved, we are assured,

you are on your way.

Storm clouds gather

overhead in an instant.

So sudden, the overladen darkness!

A violent clash of thunder!

We jump,

surging for shelter,

harried ants.

Your fury is imminent!

A pitter of raindrops

larger and harder than frozen peas.

We are pelted!

Take cover!

Lightning rents the clouds,

the dampening earth crackles

under the beginnings of chaos.

Relentless, you deluge,

terrifying us with your violence.

Thunder roars the games of the gods.

Lightning shreds the skies,

spears the ground with

fearsome cracks of sound.

Then mercifully,

sunbeams break through,

warm the damp earth,

releasing that particular scent,

the sign you were here.

As clouds clear,

puddles call to the children,

a siren song, come play, come play.

The day warms again.

With relieved satisfaction,

we sigh.

The rains are finally here!

© Catherine Knee