Ode to Rain

Oh rain! Dispatch of the pregnant sky,

Thou bathe with drizzles cool,

Awaken seeds and roots run dry,

And render picknickers fools!

Thy wat’ry purses feed the creeks

That flow to oceans wide,

Where dwell the creatures of the deep –

Ever in rain reside.

Thy crystal drops that dew the grass

Back up to heaven rise,

In endless cycle: present, past

(And future, I surmise!)

In lightning storms torrential rains

Doth shoot down from above,

In cleansing act that soaks the brain

With scenes of hate and love.

Thy acid taste and patter hum

Welcome ‘neath stars not light,

Except rainbows streak the sky I’ll come

Outside and not take flight.

---

This was my first real poem for the class and I bet in my effort to emulate the Romantics I appeared somewhat out to lunch with centuries-old language like “Thy,” “Thou,” and “Doth.” The ode is a more open form with many possibilities, though I used abab stanzas with iambic lines of four, three, four, and three feet, a structure I’ve worked extensively in.