Rain

Beneath the bough,

beneath the green

of oscillating leaves

and shiver branches,

the batter of hard

tears, whip of wind

subdue: enough for

feathered, furred

or scaled to huddle,

to preserve, cluster

hopes and hunt,

reset rhythms,

stretching claws

and patience

into drier days.

Beneath the bricks,

beneath the measured

frame of builders’

beams and codes,

rules of how to act

and what to think,

we watch storms,

heed hail, tighten

hearts and arms

across our sighs

as we track

streams sliding

down glass doors,

mesmerized

by our protections.