Rain

The air is thick, dense
 clouds saturate the skies,
rain drizzles slowly,
the street puddles grow
as each drop falls.

A narrow stream
lengthens with the falling rain,
Leaves glisten on the branches
of the trees,
birds flutter their wings,
a cat scurries under a shrub,

An umbrella snaps open,
a car splashes water onto the curbs,
someone rushes under a patio roof,
windows close sharply
a door slams shut,
the rain begins to  pour,
the cat's meow cuts through the bush,
the downpour drowns all sounds,
silence except for the rain
pounding on rooftops.

Fresh rain to nourish
'the earth, to cleanse the bush,
to soothe the parched tongue.

first, a sprinkle, a drizzle, slowly
falling in drops, then in sheets, 
pouring onto the desert land.

Rain, the mercy of Heaven!