Rain

The crack of thunder
And a shower of rain,
The smell of wet earth
And that feeling again...


The lifting of spirits,
A surge of pure joy
A face turned heavenward,
Liquid diamonds to enjoy.


Splashing in puddles
Defying the wind,
An upturned umbrella
With a stitch unpinned...


Memories of childhood
And the first blush of youth
A warm hand to hold
And a loving heart that soothes.

Illusion and Dream

Against the darkness in my mind,
I see faint starlight.
A woman dances, in the ethereal gleam,
Held close by a man she doesn’t know.
Yet they sway in perfect harmony
As he leads her across the floor.

The melody fades, the image dulls
And I see a room with mirrors...
Shadows through smoke,
Distorted reality and a single pure note.
The face in the mirror
Belongs to a stranger...
Reflections of a yearning, too hard to ignore.

Reaching out to touch an illusion
And to live a practiced dream,
I set sail a little paper boat
Into a turbulent stream...
And pray it safely reaches the other side
Through the uncertainty of the game...

To the island that is inside me,
To a nameless face that resides within
To bring to life the reason
Why the stars sometimes glow brighter
In their pattern through the skies,
As they shine and spell out destiny’s trail.

The Table

I wait at the table laden with baking things. You gals show up predictably late. I don’t tell you, but I love the impossible excuses you both make and the way you scream at me for actually expecting you to be on time.

We pause midway in our yelling and after a moment’s silence, break out into peals of prolonged laughter. We continue that way till we remember what we’re here for; to exchange news (a kinder word for gossip), to discuss the general stupidity of boys and of course, to bake.

We’ve always baked chocolate cake together. We tell our stories and air our theories as we mix the batter, fold in the eggs, and grease the baking tray.

And through the noisy chatter and the laughter, a thought strikes. This is it...this table...this moment. This is friendship.

I take a second off to watch the two of you. And I feel blessed.