Living quietly, as we do,
sitting and breathing
under the great sky,
our lives can seem so dry.
True, we have the pond
in which to dip ourselves,
to remind us of the desired
element.
But much of our time
is spent in air,
staring vacantly,
neither out nor in,
but with a calm blankness.
A still pond
soothes our spirits
as we sit, surrounded
by all the scent and colour
of the garden.
Only sometimes
does a soft breeze
ripple the surface
of the smooth pool.
Ah, but when the rain comes!
The sky breaks open
with muffled thunder.
Great drops of joy
come falling around us,
plashing the ground
and splashing our skin
till we glisten
with a wet radiance.
This is our time,
when most of nature
retreats
to shelter itself
from the storm.
Oh, but for us,
this is an epiphany
of liquid.
Rainbows awake
on our pulsing bodies
as we croak with ecstasy.
At last we are drenched
with the water that falls from the sky.
This is what we wait for,
the elemental reward
of all our patience,
our quiet sitting.
See how our throats
inflate with the thrill
as we tilt our grateful heads
upward.
And even as the rain retracts
you will still see us,
gleaming with pleasure
in our setting of wet jewels.