A gentle rain was the touch of God —
Healing — bringing healing.
My weary soul, so dry and parched,
Received the living water.
I cannot comprehend Your love, O Lord —
For me, for others.
How can a sound touch my heart so deeply,
Washing cares away?
And to the earth it brings the promise,
That evil will be cleansed by Your love.
And by Your suffering so deeply,
You washed my sins away.
Rain on the roof,
Clothes on my back;
It’s dry inside,
Though it’s only a shack.
Wind’s blowin’ hard,
But I do not fear —
Six layers of clothes
Do bring me good cheer.
The demons attack —
They make my thoughts jumble.
But through prayer and fasting,
The enemy crumbles.
Be not afraid;
You have what you need.
To God and His promises
We all must take heed.
God grants the rain,
The stars, sun, and moon.
Give thanks and give praise,
For He’s coming soon.
What comfort I receive
When gentle raindrops fall
Upon my roof — and I
Am dry beneath it all.
What comfort I now feel
When warm inside my bed,
Like mom who wrapped me in her arms,
And always kept me fed.
What grief I sense for those
Who under freeways sleep
Who struggle every day to find
Security to keep.
My heart is broken now
For families torn apart.
For strife and anger uncontained,
The wounds of broken hearts.
O, gentle raindrops, tell
Those suffering now from want,
That there’s a God Who loves them still;
He loves your broken heart.
The storm predicted was much delayed
Though clouds did threaten, though wind began
Its quiet moaning, tree branches groaning.
We waited, waited – wondering
When heaven’s tensions would bring declension
To weather’s warmth and pleasantness.
When least expected, suddenly
A hurried haste of air and water
Gushed and guttered from the sky.
“It’s like a deluge!” – We take our refuge
‘Neath covered arches, no comfort wanting.
But soon it’s finished, the rain diminished,
The wind decreased, or almost ceased –
The sun appearing.
Now water jewels appear on trees
On branches glinting, our minds imprinting
With dreams of fairy fireflies.
At my home near the Bay,
Stepping out into the rain-drenched air,
Covering my hair.
And then the rain stopped,
And I sensed other California places
I’ve mostly been.
The snow-chilled air of winter Tahoe,
The sea scents of Half Moon Bay,
A whiff of pungent pines in the Sierras,
Or Central Valley heat, like an oven baking.
You can smell the mud, fishing by a river,
Or at the Elkhorn Slough.
Or catch the skunk’s scent at night while driving,
Hoping death did not cause the fumes..
Did you ever smell the Jeffrey pines at Lassen?
They’re like vanilla pudding!
We all breathe the same air —
Remember California in your dreams.
[Written in response to /protest against the Charlottesville, Virginia, madness.]
The wildflowers still bloom
No matter what your religion is,
What color your skin is,
How much money you have,
Or what neighborhood you live in.
The trees don’t ask,
“Shall I give my shade
Only to certain people —
Those of a certain color,
Those who are rich?”
The mountains still stand
When the poor walk on them,
When the oppressed tread their paths.
The ocean waves
Go in and out
Whether the children splashing in them
Are educated or not.
The birds don’t sing
Only for the perfect —
Perfectly healthy,
Perfectly formed
In mind and body.
The sun shines
And the rain falls
On the just and the unjust.
Shall I withhold my love
From another
For any reason?
God does not.
He sends the rain and the sun
On all peoples.
He gives the beauty of His creation
To each person, each day.
Let me learn from Him.
You lifted me up, for a while.
I flew like a butterfly on weightless wings,
But I had to come down to earth.
I am a worm now, crawling in the mud.
But worms make way for growing things,
For trees, and flowers, and birds that sing.
It’s all the same,
In dust and rain,
In joy or pain.
Love has to hurt —
So life gives birth,
And pain gives way to joy.
An allegory of God’s Love
You planted the seed of Love in my heart
You watered it
You waited patiently
One day I broke through the ground
You sent the sun and rain
You watched over me
I continued to grow
Flowers appeared
You sent the bees and bugs to pollinate
Sometimes I fell ill
You tended me until I mended
You fertilized the barren soil of my heart
Fruit began to show
You fertilized my heart again
When the fruit was ripe
Others picked it
It was sweet and refreshing
Sometimes you would prune me
At first I was angry —
How could you hurt me that way?
But then I noticed:
After the pruning, I would bear more fruit
I grew older
There was less fruit now
But still good
Sometimes there was bad fruit
You returned it to the earth
To be transformed and to nourish other plants
Sometimes fruit fell to the ground
To begin new plants
I am old now
Dry and shriveled
Soon I will return to the earth
But the seeds that fell
Will continue to grow
Watered by Your Love
clarakatalin 