Hopeful Rain
Soaks into the ground
Coaxing the grass to grow even longer

Makes the air cool
Easier to breath
Lets my hair have the option
Of being worn down, across my shoulders

The drops remind me;
Of roofs, and covers
And sweet dreams being wished

Of a walk back from a five and dime store
Splashing in puddles, holding a stuffed Harlequin doll with red diamonded legs
and painted eyes

Of butterscotch pudding (for later)
My mothers shiny coat and the
Low gray sky

The sound of car tires on pavement
A spray of mist as they pass

Soaked and tired
But now only two blocks from home
So it was O.K. to feel the cold…

I’ve exchanged gray for blue
So far away from that street now
Both in time and distance

But the rain brings it back
Watching the movement like silver lines
Against the tropical trees
Hearing the songs of birds and frogs

Being still in this moment
Letting it soak into me
Even as I remain dry and covered
In my garage, door wide open, watching my world;
past, present and future, in layers
Stacked on my wet driveway

And then tonight
So soothing this sound
That has been traveling with me all my life

Hopeful rain
Washes my heart, becomes the groundwater
For tides and tears
The wellspring of new life

~Erika Ginnis