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Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World
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Rain Upcountry
Twin mares, bay brown, huddle and huff beneath the eucalyptus. Goats gather there too, sharp-eyed, waiting.
Beneath his hutch a rooster darts his head, black and red, out and in again.
And here I stand
lacking the animal sense to step out of the rain.
2003
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger
This is a poem I wrote during my Maui days, living in the rural "upcountry" region along the slopes of Haleakala volcano.
People often associate Hawaii with beaches and sunshine, but it is a land of microclimates -- drive ten minutes in any direction and the world has changed from desert to dense jungle, from sun, to fog, to rain. Some days the raindrops just float suspended in the moist air, waiting to settle onto your cheeks. Other days, the rain drives down to crash upon your crown, like heaven demanding entrance.
Rain can be a metaphor for the celestial drink, the juice of heaven that descends upon us. When it lands, everything else disappears in its wash.
We might imagine the animals as being aspects of the personality, with a natural sense of self-preservation and desire for comfort. The rain comes, and they instinctively seek shelter.
Then the question beats in your heart: Today do you too find shelter, or do you stand open to that celestial downpour?
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Ivan
M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright ©
2002 - 2011 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or
publishers.