Night Rain
By John Herlihy

Faint smells herald a change of weather;
Misty dew tickles my nose like a feather.
The sandy air was brittle all the day long,
Wind as soft and crisp as a child’s song.

Night insects turn silent in quiet reserve;
Night birds fluff their wings and observe.
Night air stirs, causing vague premonition;
The mind pauses in wonder, in contrition.

Night rain arrives as cymbals and brass;
Soggy earth soon flooded in deep morass.
Silence is broken by unannounced sound;
Another side of nature appears profound.

The night rain sparkles luminescent light,
Infinitesimal stars to illuminate the night.
Filling the darkness as wind fills the sail,
With secret messages to be read as braille.

Night silence hushed with incredible poise,
Night rain now thundered with wild noise.
Drumming notes have rhythms held at bay,
With forgotten memories that seldom stay.

You are now here, this moment, this day,
The rain echoes rhythms of away and away.
Drenching rain as all the flowers frowned,
Water spouts and so too the leaves drowned.

With the cacophony of music suddenly still,
What strikes my ear has suddenly lost its will.
From a windy branch the last drops now fall,
Night rain is silenced, but the trees stand tall.