Rain Chapter and Verse

He fell in love with the rain
volumes and volumes 
sheets upon sheets
each drop a wet memory
a weather forecast of him

There he was a child in yellow
and black rubber boots
splashing up and down
feeling the pinging on his hood
the flavor of pond on his tongue

putting his existence on hold 
for maybe days and days
locked away in play or
with his father in a leaky tent or
seeing it splash to the vinyl floor 
in that dripping cabin in the woods 

Afterwards he would watch as 
it created broad circles on the pond
how it made the scavenger hunt
for frogs fall flat as they slipped 
his hands into the darkness of 
other circles that slipped through his 
fingers when cupped in his hands 

He loved the rain because its 
been falling for so long now
and still no one he knows
has been able to pick it up 

Even today when it came again
in a surprise gale that turned
his face painted daughters 
into sad tear streaked clowns

How they cried and cried because 
they did not understand  like you
what a gift it was from mother night
to stay night after overnight in her arms.