The Incitement of Rain

Once…

An aging Alabama-survivor
Who heard it said
Old age in Alabama
Like middle of the night rain
Lonely and cold
Was worthy only of prison yards
And soup lines

That rain, he said
Visits my granny and dog
All the time
Makes slow the calloused feet to move now
Across wooden planks
Skinny dog by her side
Shufflin' too
Draggin' what energy's left
Just to remind each other
Life ain't over ‘til it's over

Trembling limbs hold fast
The trek from bed to toilet to bed
Middle of the night rain
Keeps tappin’ at the door

Crazy shit that Alabama rain
He only saw it once
Hitchin' coast to coast
Back in the day...
Overnight visit with granny it was
Coulda stayed longer
But the rain...

He’s thinkin' all that now
Peerin' from his penthouse window
Central Park dimming
Summer night with the Bard rained out
Eloquence he doesn’t know
So he listens from afar

Rain
Near or far
All the same
When waiting to make the sale
1 kilo
Another month's rent

NY
Alabama
Empty room's an empty room
Dark room's a dark room

Old rain
Young rain
Patter seems the same
The door
The window
My conscience

Such incitement, that rain