Written on Valentine's Day
Parked in a mini-flood, my right tires submerged to the hubcaps
I zip up my jacket
pull up my hood
and turn off the car
Left, right, left
I check for cars
open the door
leave the car
close the door
check for cars
but no one’s on this road in the rain
and cross to the less flooded side of the street
The rain patters on my jacket
the sound soothing
and I feel
Joy
I love the rain
How it feeds the grass, which greens almost upon contact with the water
How some people slow down in the rain
because they’re dressed for it
so they don’t mind
How they pause before jumping the streams that flank the roads
I love the impact of splashing in the rain
I love giving in to the rain
when my arms
my knees
my face
are wet
It feels like permission to take time
to enjoy
the cooler air
the reprieve from incessant sun
(do I sound like I’m complaining?
I’m not complaining)
to be a child
to explore the water
how it drips off of rooftops
slides down windows
drips into streams
and
flows down the street
or sits
collecting drops
a pool for enterprising rodents
the utter delight of splashing in the water
remembering that you don’t have to sidestep the puddles
especially if you have boots
you can go straight in
wade, slowly
jump
stomp
splash
kick
There’s a happy medium with rain
enough to help the plants grow and green
but not enough to wash away trees and homes
and as long as we’re there
where rain is a nuisance for other people but not a danger
(except for those idiots who speed and don’t use their headlights
but you can’t blame the rain for stupidity)
as long as the rain cooperates
I will remember that, like the sun, it is life
and childhood
and delight
I will not take it for granted
I will embrace it
I will revel in it
Lest I forget
and its absence remind me
just how precious it is.
This Glass Has Water 