Best Rainstorm Poems
The chaotic cadence of falling rain
begins striking the pavement in evening's hours.
Up on the roof I hear the steady gain
of drops as sprinkling now becomes a shower.
The last of daylight's doves have all been slain
by a murder of crows in midnight flower.
Pins of light in puddles are raptors' eyes
that watch with growing fire the blackening skies.
Odd lines 1-7: ten syllables
Even lines 2-8: eleven syllables
Stormy winds swing canopies of trees
Swaying dark shadows upon my reverie
Glimmering through forest-green leaves
Sunlight filtered by cumulous clouds
As raindrops pitter-patter on sidewalk
Drenching instincts ambling in the park.
Sun-rays soon flicker, as rain-clouds part
Spreading golden dust on cobalt-blue sky
Intermittently oscillating light and dark
Floating breezy patterns on emerald grass.
The multi-hued sky then picks up my vibes
As charming horizon evokes your smile.
The voice I hear, speaks to me so softly
First time ever, it greets me with a kiss
Holding my posture, I sprint for a glimpse.
But there's no one, for no one there was
Except the chatter of agitated bird calls
Warning of danger from a lone stranger
Conjuring daydreams in fleeting rainstorm.
August 26, 2018
Placed first--End of August standard contest by Brian Strand
Into the evanescing night
Floats hope, now restrained to a dream
Within the edges which incite
Tales clinging unto the extreme :
Russet of summer, ebb of tide
Blows whispers as rainstorm nears
Its last heaving when moons provide,
A bright glint reflecting my tears.
Although long my amble on hills
Time does bestow my earnest bid,
To forgive, a strife from love's chills
Allowing mist to end tight grid--
Old stories drown under seafloor
Through August , warm the hues blending...
For magical is the beam ashore
My heart at peace ...never-ending.
Brian Strand Late Jan 2019 Contest
Not entered in any challenge
The rain had started lightly as graceful drops on the windows. It was
peaceful and tranquil and it made me want to meditate and closing my
eyes I drifted away to a sweet place of relaxation. Fluttering on gossamer
wings. Tap, tap, tap on the windows and suddenly the wind was blowing
in the tangled trees with a loud whispering. Thunder roared somewhere
far off in the distance . . .
birds were twittering
unseen in the bending trees
then they were silent
Lightning began to illuminate the sky and the thunder moved closer. I
went to sit on the garden porch and I watched the rain cascading on the
foliage and flowers. I imagined their delight, so sweet it must have felt
on their leaves and blooms. They danced and swayed to the music of
the rain and wind. The steps into the garden were wet and beautiful
with dripping green. I just let myself float away . . .
soft and so gentle
rain weeping in the garden
the giver of life
It rained all the night, becoming a downpour. Sleep music on the roof
of my home as I lay in my bed, warm and cozy, listening until my eyes
drooped and closed. I awoke in the morning and the storm had passed
but the streets were flooded and rain was gushing from the storm runoffs.
I went out to the garden and it was so tranquil and still. It seemed happy,
and to me seemed a jungle rainforest . . .
a garden dripping
leaves heavy with the wetness
after the rainstorm
__________________________
September 13, 2015
Haibun
For the contest, My Favourite Forms, sponsor, Heather Ober
Fourth Place
Rain thunder rain
Falling down sounds
Big clapping thunder
Rain down unrestrained
Sandy beaches of sun and sailing
Salty seas SUNSHINE unrestrained
Let it rain better dreams ahead
Angry thunder BANG summer thunder
Rain clapping crashing DANG
THUNDER RAIN THUNDER RAIN THUNDER BANG!!
Hastening t'ward the grayscale skies,
On gilded wings an angel flies.
While demons wail of their despise;
Hiss and moan, their sole reprise.
A lightning flash; the angel sighs
A rush of wind, and then she dies.
Oh, how the heavens agonize
And thunderously vocalize.
While in the mayhem devils rise
With beating drums to signalize
Their ill intent to terrorize
The broken hearts and reddened eyes
Whose cherub tears the Earth baptize.
But demon laughter amplifies
The vengeful thirst across the skies
And solemn, anguished seraph cries
The host of heaven unifies.
With swords aloft they mobilize
Their concourse as a vast sunrise
Whose flaming swords the clouds incise
And radiant light Earth pacifies.
Yet mankind fails to realize
Except the prudent and the wise
The storm is naught but a disguise,
Oh do you hear the old Magi’s
Verse for men which edifies?
Or listen to him rhapsodize
How from the light, the darkness flies
And from the rain, the sunlight dries?
Perhaps…he oversimplifies.
Sunlight and Rainstorms
Clear sunlight and rainstorms play games of tag
As bluebirds perch on rainbows
3-1-23
Contest: A New Crystalline
Sponsor: Tania Kitchin
So blinding is the rain this black and lonely night;
I now pull off the road- the deluge blanks my sight.
With steady beats and pounds, like icy hail on roofs,
its torrents loudly heard like giant, beastly hoofs.
Inside my auto shell, afraid I wait alone,
in this, my shelter now- although, without a phone.
Like on a dead-end street, I feel abandoned, scared-
on this dark country road, alone and unprepared.
The steady, pounding rain- transports me now to tears
entrapped in this small space with claustrophobic fears.
The lightning streaks the sky, while thunder claps away;
curled up like in a womb, upon the seat I lay.
How monstrous is a storm that blocks the gift of light
and works my adult mind to loneliness and fright.
What fragile soul am I, afraid to be alone
with nature's grand display- just praying to get home.
What strokes the heart, bridges the tears?
A rainstorm is near; I can touch it.
His shoulder’s a rock that bears my weight.
My heartbeat’s in the air - its peaks and valleys.
A blossoming umbrella crowns my head,
holds me steady. My smile’s underneath,
though buried in the kiss on her forehead,
the last “I love you’s,” my palm on her heart.
A chihuahua under her bed - nestled in her sheets
when she speeds to the emergency room.
What will the old blond do when she is gone -
her one eye open then forever closed?
Yet hope arises…she will life forever
in our Savior’s embrace - the rock of ages
will reunite her with her grandson -
oh how whole, how full, how courtly
and bright after the long kiss goodnight.
Still, her bouquet of daughters
will reel, having recently lost
the appeal to God of too many close relatives.
Their home t’will be vacant
of her encouraging words, starved
of her presence, deadpan, and hollow.
The nurse took care of them for so long -
in sickness and health, through divorce,
widowhood and transplant. Her faith planted
on the solid ground of Christ -
may they embrace the trace of life.
For me, my spouse’s minute kindness -
I lean on the bough as he shock-absorbs
my grief, and I prepare my mind
for an upcoming wake which I
will not awaken from, except for hope,
glorious hope, in the risen Dayspring.
8/3/2022
Loving him is like
Being in love with a
Midsummer rainstorm-
He's got a soul born of thunder
And lightning-
Got caught up in his whirlwind, spinnin'
Into the circle of his arms-
Dazedly-
But he always looked so- calm-
Didn't he?
The eyes of a storm always do;
But when you get close enough to
Hear the wind-blown
Whisper of his sigh,
You'll feel the energy swirling
Under the surface of his skin
Like fireworks
All ready to burst into shimmer-
White-hot sparks
Burn in the dark-cloud shadow
Of his smiling eyes-
Like hurricane warnings flashing
Between hot and cold- like
Thunderbolts and fury of a downpour
Sudden enough to leave you gasping-
You get swept away before
You have time to get a good grasp
On your heart...
Loving him is like that.
Summer Rain
Rainstorm
Midsummer’s voice bellows in the thunder.
It’s deep and husky as the heat is high.
Skylights flash in atmospheric wonder,
to clearly say a storm is passing by.
Forceful winds tear weak trees all asunder,
as the rain pours like silver from the sky.
Summer rain doesn’t like to fall alone.
It brings thunder to liven up the tone.
6/19/17
Splash! on the cold road
Slash! on the glorious grass
Making all things wet
Heavy waves, curly like the seas
During the storms,
Laughing in sapphire shadows,
Silencing the sigh, breathless
Prayers for sunlight
Glittering through the clouds,
Erasing the gales, hurricanes
Erupting like emotions
When the night pours out
Rain so furious and frantic
It ends the moments
Feeling like those days when
My hair, coiled around the brush,
Seemed like it had a life
All its own, a life of frizzy feelings
Twisting, a corkscrew
As desperate as the tempests
Who charge through the oceans
Assaulting every breaker
With ebony doom, flooding
The faith with endless swells
Torrents, dark downpours, drizzling
Showers in memories
Explosions of tangled wool,
Leaving me with one option, one
Choice that would soon
Prove to be the answer to my scandalous
Spirals.
I cut my hair, a trim
Then short, so I saw a him
Instead of the me that used to be
When my mane, like stormy seas,
Remained free to dance,
Violently rambling
on to my destiny
where my curls continued to be…
alive, like the silky threads
holding my best sweater together
What remains of me – even in these autumn years
Is the curly hair, the coiling mysteries
Beneath the hand who created me to be
ME – with a mane so wild and free
It can only be the reason that I have come to see…
Myself as the storm who trembles quietly
Beneath heavens who know me
As the one who waits patiently – for the downpour
To pulse and quiver, putting me to sleep
Beneath its gentle beat, a rhythm
For the soul to seek – in stormy weather
There is always a calming peace, serenity
Soothing away the doubts that come to those
Who don’t believe – This storm is God’s brilliance
Like the curls He chose for me,
Pouring out on His creation – a blessed stream
Hope for the grace that only He can bring!
A SIMPLE POETRY CONTEST Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: John lawless
March 20, 2023
Wind starts to whistle
As thunder shouts his commands
The clouds start crying
Drowning in the Maelstrom
Vision blurred grey
Head Bowed
Mouth set unmoved
Two skins wet
Feet aflame
Back broken
Body numb
On the green earth
Between steel topped stone
And a God’s fury
I sit
They sit
We sit
Breath rasps with the steam
Frozen and frying
Dead hands and dying feet
Rest
The sea taps at numb shoulders
Water on stone
Eyes refocus
Still grey
The ocean drips over the brim
A waterfall for weary eyes
The call comes
They Stand
I stand
We stand
Hacking back into the torrent