Waxing Poetic 1

She often thought of the rain
The sound of it on her windows
As it raced down into the soggy flowerbeds
The mudpuddles in the potholes
That she used to jump in on the way home from school
Getting her jeans soaking wet from shoes to knees
The new sneakers she was supposed to keep clean
Because they had to last until summer
Mom would be so mad
But when you lived in the moment you never thought of those details ahead of time

She stood in the baked dead garden
City drought rationing made it cheaper
To buy fruits and vegetables
She brushed her sweaty bangs off her forehead
If she closed her eyes she could remember the smell of rain
But it was never quite as easy to grasp when you had to imagine it

If only this godforsaken drought would end
And rain would wash away the brown film on cars and plants
Buildings and sidewalks
She looks up at cloudless summer skies
Closing her eyes she imagines the rain on her face
Patience. She must have patience.