Poetry: "Asking"

We didn’t think to prayfor rain that spring and summer becausewe were not the farmers orthe flower shop owners orthe camp counselors who ledyoung lives down the rivers in June

So we didn’t watch the skyanxiously wondering when the clouds wouldform from dropsof water in the air

didn’t notice the dust our shoesstirred up when we walked acrossthe ground’s dry cracked skin

didn’t grasp all the greenthat was missing in the brown surroundingstale streets

We didn’t know we needed rain untilit came,until that first drip dropped onto our busyhands and made uspause to ponder water

until the drops dripped down our lips, wateringparched throatsand dehydrated songs

We never knew weloved the sound of rain againstthe window, the soft drummingdrowning outclocks tickinghearts beating

Not until then did we wonderhow we ever went so long withoutchildren playing in puddles, withoutumbrellas drying outside doors

Just an hour after the first splashfrom sky to sidewalk, we collectedrainwater in empty cupsto save for sunny days in casethe next timethe water waiteduntil it was expected.