Friday, August 24, 2012

Rain Comes Down

Rain comes down in heavy, dark drops;
thunder rolled through and cracked a hole in the sky.
Translucent needles wash the fruit off the trees,
and the seething wind swells to rattle the branches.
Rabbits run to seek shelter from this storm,
but I stagger across the grass without a coat,
walking with my eyes closed because
I don’t want to see what’s really out here.
 
A chaotic symphony overwhelms my ears:
the crash of raindrops shattering on concrete,
vibrato screeching from the fitful winds,
thunder growling and snarling like a jaguar.
I think I even hear the low drone of clouds rolling;
now listening overwhelms me as much as seeing.
 
I can scarcely pull myself together
or keep from shaking apart.
Rain has soaked so deep through my clothes
that I may as well be naked in a cold bath.
My feet struggle for balance on the slick grass
as the ground starts to rise into a hill.
My eyes open reflexively as I slip and almost fall,
but I squeeze them shut once I regain my bearing.
 
Perhaps I am just a little blind mouse
running from things that I know are inescapable.
I could walk right into a lightning strike;
one great flash of blue-white and then nothing.
But raindrops keep pricking my bare neck and arms,
and the wind goes on taunting me while the thunder chuckles.
I don’t get their joke, so I listen for the rabbits.
Maybe they know the way home.  

 
 
Copyright (C) 2012 by Eric Landuyt

1 comment:

  1. The theme of chaos is really strong here, and describing the rain as needles and comparing a thunderstorm to a symphony is brilliant. I believe I know what you're trying to do by having traditional stanzas yet no rhyme scheme (highlight sense of smallness and lack of understanding), but it might work better for lines to still flow well regardless. Parts like, "because
    I don’t want to see what’s really out here," and "that I may as well be naked in a cold bath," seem out of place due to wordiness.

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