Monday, June 10, 2013

Summer Rain


A quarter to eight found me with feet tucked up, curled into a chair on the porch.  An indian print shawl of gold and black and umber draped over a chocolate sundress that smelled faintly of the fajitas and saffron rice of dinner.  A glass of wine upon the table beside me; a novel, pages slightly tacky in the humid air, resting in my lap.  Suddenly the dark clouds that have scuttled across the sky all afternoon broke in the evening breeze, golden light burst through the air--June's last stand on a day decidedly resembling April.

And it began to rain.

Oh, the splendor that is sunlit rain!  Were that I had such a camera to capture the jewel-like waterfall that cascaded from the heavens, as if Mother Nature had held her aqueous breath all day and then let it out in a glorious deluge of glittering waves...  It seemed the world paused.  The leaves of the dogwood danced in tune with the giant oak across the way; the herbs along the rails shimmied, their essence painting the air with the scent of green and warmth and delicious promise.  Paper pages of lust and love and death forgotten under damp kisses on my cheeks and soft wet trails across my shoulder, the seduction of summer.

The rain has passed now, the sunlight faded into the grey that announces the arrival of the night.  The patter of drips are a piano that plays along with my thoughts...as I await the return of my love. 


May yours be close and warm beside you.




14 comments:

IJrdn said...

It's all red outside from the rain over here. So surreal outside.

Evening rain in the summer is the best!

Anonymous said...

so descriptive and beautiful.

I can feel it

Shea Goff said...

sigh.

Shelly said...

Oh, can you set a scene! I was right there, savoring all of it with you.

Robbie Grey said...

This gets me to look forward to our summer monsoon and the daily two o'clock thunderstorms.

terlee said...

After days of scorching heat and humidity, your words are like a cool hand on a fevered brow.

Chantel said...

IJrdn--I totally agree, I love the red you're talking about!

Candy--thank you, it was beautiful.

Shea--I did the same thing. :)

Shelly--thank you, the scent was nearly overwhelming!

Robbie--I remember those on the ranch, you could nearly set your watch... :)

Terlee--sending you cool thoughts and summer rain! xo

Anonymous said...

It is always lovely to read a good poem, but when the author lives the poem, & can bring that life to the page, better.~Mary

Chantel said...

Mary--the moments of poetry in our lives, make the others bearable, don't they? (and such a compliment you left) May the world not lose its magic, its imagination... sunsets and fireflies and flowers that bloom only for a day. Such glory, where would we be without?

Melissa Maris said...

So beautiful. If we were face to face, I'd rest my chin on the heels of my hand and stare at you, batting my eyelashes at your amazing writing skills.

Brian Miller said...

the patter of drops are a piano...smiles...i love rain, to listen to it...even a storm like the one we just had yesterday...

have a lovely weekend chantel

Dee said...

Dear Chantel, I've been away from reading and commenting on blogs for several weeks and I'm so pleased and contented to have returned to your blog and to discover this posting on the delight of rain.

Years ago--in the '60s when I was teaching high school there was a video called "Rain showers" that I used to help students begin to write. I'm going to look and see if I can find it again. Thanks for jogging my memory this way. Peace.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I felt so calm and relaxed reading this :)

ND Mitchell said...

Love that you celebrate the rain so eloquently Chantel. A moment captured beautifully in words even if you didn't catch it on film :)