There’s something about the rain that almost demands reflection. As the drops fall, we may find ourselves drawn to the trickling water dancing on the window panes, tucked safely away from the falling rain. In these moments, we can think of all of the things that water can represent within us: renewal, destruction, chaos, and stillness. Depending on your perspective, the rain brings about so many different emotions.
A good rainy-day poem focuses on the variety of feelings that rain can evoke in the reader. So, snuggle up with a blanket and a cup of coffee as these poets address the rains that fill our days and our hearts.
Iain S. Thomas, “The Ripple in the Clouds”
The hardest thing to do
When you go back underwater
Is talk about what the sky was like.
This poem is such a profound piece that touches on the harder seasons in life. When we feel like we are drowning in dark waters, it can be unbearable to talk about what it was like to breathe and see the sun.
C. Churchill
I plant seeds in
my hollow places
just in case of rain
memories I hold dear
to tend lovingly
before any pain
I plant seeds in
my hollow places
knowing barren
can be devastating
knowing love
can grow anything
-seeds (from new collection Racing Ravens)
This poem has planted its roots in hope, showing readers that even when we feel empty, we can plant seeds of change to tend to and grow. In time, love will nurture our hearts and our hollow spaces, creating beautiful landscapes in the most unexpected places.
Alison Malee
it is okay to feel.
today, it is a
necessary flood.
Sometimes, our emotions are more like a torrential downpour, flooding and overflowing within us, begging for a space to reside. I love the gentle reminder that it is okay to experience those feelings. Emotions are necessary to move forward. We must let whatever we’re feeling flow freely so we can make it to the sunshine of what comes next.
K.Y. Robinson
i will always remember to quench you,
be your stillness and pour myself
into you like water.
This poem addresses the gentle side of the water and how it can revive us and the people we love. We can enjoy stillness with one another. We can invest in each other, pouring our hearts into one another with love and tenderness.
D. Lucia, “Word Bender”
Sunshine,
Is the nickname
I have given you
The perfect protection
Against the diminishing blue.
Sometimes, we wait for the rain to pass. We search for the rainbow at the end of our hardship or the sunshine peeking out of the clouds. We remember the sunshine when the clouds roll in, and we hope for its return when the rains pour down. Sometimes, sunshine is within us and sometimes it is found in another person. I love the premise of this piece: that remembering the warmth in our loved ones can protect us from the storms ahead.
Tyler Knott Gregson
I am so heavy
with hope,
bloated and bogged down,
what a burden
to carry.
buckling knees
under the weight
of wishing,
spine like a
question mark,
but belief
like a
period.
The imagery in this piece is stunning, as it describes the writer feeling bloated and bogged down with hope. Hope is necessary to our well-being, but it can sometimes be hard to bring into our despair or frustrations. The spine may feel like a question mark under the weight sometimes, but belief remains steady and constant in the journey ahead, knowing that hope is worth the burden that can come with carrying it.
Rochelle Dsilva
Rain
finely ground raindrops
settle on my skin
like icing sugar.
This poem exudes such simple elegance. It reminded me of the first rains of spring, the ones that feel like they are sprinkled with magic and renewal.
Rain can be romantic. It can be all-consuming and an uproar of emotion. It can be a chance for stillness and contemplation. The changing weather brings about changes in us as we experience the swirling tides of emotion the words bring us. The rain may mean different things to different people, but one thing I know for sure is this: there is something magical to be found in the storms of our hearts, whether we are dancing in the rain or searching the horizon for the sun.
