Morning Rain

The clearest sky follows a warm morning rain [Experience tells me this again and again] Sometimes bringing a brightly colored rainbow To remind me of God’s great promise, although Shadows still drift lazily across the terrain. I watch the birds shake themselves off and fly From tree to tree, to and fro, chirping by and by, All bringing unending motion beyond and above The clearest sky. Occasional perfect droplets linger on the leaf Sparkling like well-cut diamonds in bas relief, A faint smell of sulphur wafts with the breeze Sends a flutter and a ripple through the trees Portending in this oft-observed Spring motif The clearest sky. FIRST PLACE WINNER In Brian Strand's Contest