A free-verse poem celebrating rain we received today, a respite from our drought. |
Today, 24 August 2011, something simply wonderful happened. Rain, precious rain fell, treating our parched, half-dead yards to a much-needed drink after more than a month of bone-dry days on end. Rain! Drought-breaking rain. Bring on the rain. A record-setting number of days with record-setting high temperatures have made this summer the hottest and driest summer ever in Shreveport. Ever! We have out-deserted the southwestern desert with our tree-killing, flower-shriveling, grass-browning, ground-cracking heat and drought. So dry! When it comes regularly, one hardly notices the rain, sometimes even considers it a nuisance. But, when rain refuses to fall, you pray for it; you thirst for it; you realize how wonderfully life-giving rain truly is. You long for some glorious rain! When the rain started falling today, I was so joyous I wanted my wife and me to strip naked and dance merrily around in the rain-wet backyard. Sadly, she refused. It would have been a worthy celebration at the return of a long-absent, old friend -- a cooling, refreshing thunderstorm on a hot summer’s day. Please check out my ten books: http://www.amazon.com/Jr.-Harry-E.-Gilleland/e/B004SVLY02/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 |