Rain twice this week,
Soaking, renewing rain -  

An end to a five-month drought,
Or a statistical fluke that toys
With hope?  What would it take
To know for sure the drought
Was over?  What are the signs
That would reassure us that rain
Will come every few days
Just like before the drought set in?
How would we know for sure
The drought would not return?  

Strange, how after a long-enough
Drought, words and signs
That once comforted us
No longer suffice.  Long after
A drought may be over
It lingers in memory and dread.
It has become a presence,
Almost a person who refuses to leave.
For the longest time,
Mind may be more parched than land.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by HF Stein 

End of Drought