Wednesday, July 12, 2023

A drizzle

Today,
I let my daughter
Get wet in the drizzle

There was so much against it
That she might catch a cold
A viral fever
A pneumonia
Oh, in fact
That's all
When I was thinking of it
As a hundred-mouthed hydra

But yeah,
There is that much against it
And the dozen people
Who will simulate
A hundred-mouthed hydra

And what do we have FOR it
Except
A child confined indoor
For several days
A warm summer day despite the
Threat of a downpour 

A laugh, a skip
A sense of wonder
As the first, tiny,
Almost warm
Droplet
Hits her delicate skin
A discovery
That those roiling masses
Of dark nothings overhead
Can send moisture
Blessed little droplets of ambrosia
Hurtling down through the atmosphere
All the way up to your skin

So I let her
Dance a bit
Before she scurries
Back inside
Into the shade
Of the shop

A surprise, an awe
An intent concentration
As the sprinkle
Turns to a drizzle
I open the umbrella
And I haul her up on my hip
As we walk back homr
And she hears, 
Perhaps so close for the first time 
The pitter-patter of rain
As it hammers down 
On the umbrella
And sprays out in all directions

A sense of adventure
All the first experiences
Are adventures
No matter how mundane
They are to adults
So yes, a sense of adventure
As she reaches out
From under the umbrella
Catches a few droplets
On her outstretched palms
And exclaims
The rain! The water!
It reached me!

Yes, she got
The cuffs of her
(Monsoon-protection)
Light-but-full-sleeved top
Wet 

But then,
I listen to the words
Tumbling out in haste
Almost as if
They wouldn't make sense
If you don't know what to listen for

The rain! The water!
It reached me!

And I think,
That's a good deal

And
Just as well,
The Hundred-mouthed hydra
Does not read my blog!

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