Cloudburst

Unknown

Cloudburst

Earth (meadows and rock
gardens, perforating cities,
crepe sea-skin, people, slag mounds,
highway access ramps)

Earth (i.e. all within the 
circle of sky)

suffers, today, the rain.

   Plip   plip   then
   (crack!) it's boiling everywhere.

   It singles itself into
   slow droplets on car windows.
   The forehead feels its skywarm touch.

   Rainworms emerge, deep waters
   under the earth are nurtured
   and, gradually, the roving clouds again.

Earth suffers the first large splats, the rush, the pelting,
   the beautiful withdrawing,

variously receiving, mirroring, waiting
for the long wind, for evening sun.

Margaret Avison

A beautiful poem, but also because the earth is suffering from far too much rain for far too long here. Can't wait for the "beautiful withdrawing".