My Old Friend

It’s been just over a week since the last time I enjoyed a thunder storm.  I miss those rain showers, those cacophonous moments of rain pelting tin roofs and thunder booming in the dark clouds above.  I miss feeling the chill of the fresh air, the smell of water-drenched earth, the feeling of the cool drops on my bare skin. 

Last week, I spent a few days traipsing around the countryside down by San Carlos, mostly in a small pueblo called Guasimo.  These small towns butt up against the border with Costa Rica, giving them a very different feel to the colonial city I call home.  The jungles engulf the countryside and villages in their wild foliage and teem with wildlife like monkeys, parrots, boa constrictors, tarantulas, and jungle cats.  To make it even better, it rains there.  A lot.  As you may know, rain and I get along rather famously.  Although recently we haven’t seen much of each other…  So this trip of mine, though tiring, turned out to be quite the blessing :)

During one particular thunderstorm I felt inspired to write a small poem of sorts… A poem to my old friend, Rain:

The rain, she calls out to me

Like an old friend.

I welcome her greeting warmly;

I pull up a chair,

Put on a pot of water

And brew us a cup of sweet tea. 

I snuggle up in my warm sweater

And sip my hot tea,

Grateful for Rain's fresh air she's brought

A gift of air that smells of wet earth, puddles, and green.

She invites me to talk first,

Listening ever so gently.

And so we talk,

Just her and I.

I talk of deep things that weigh on my heart:

My feelings of the past,

My desires for the present,

My dreams for the future.

And Rain listens to me well,

Giving me advice and counsel.

She speaks of patience and timing,

Of rhythm and passion and balance.

I ponder her words and

Savor their wisdom

like the cup of tea I currently hold.

She is wise, my old friend Rain.

And then she takes her turn,

Sharing with me her thoughts and hopes.

As her passion rises,

So too does her voice of watery droplets.

Crescendos of raindrops pelt the earth around us,

A symphony of notes and beats.

Thunder and Lightning join in from time to time,

Forever lost in their mighty dance.

And I sit here,

And listen

As we share this moment in our lives,

Just Rain and I.

And then the time comes

When Rain must go.

I thank her for bringing me a bit of peace and wisdom.

I sigh, content and refreshed.

Farewell, Rain.

Until the next time when our paths cross.

Until then, here I will wait for you.

Stay tuned!