The Days of Rain

Yesterday it started to rain.
Still summer and warm
but the rain had the smell of winter.
It overcame me in one accidental breath.
I looked up to the sky squinting
(no slumping for me).
I stand tall in the rain
when it catches me,
off guard and umbrellaless.

Soon the rain will be routine
like so many things
and the smell will be the smell of everyday
and not a special one.
But yesterday it was summer
and the smell of fall was new to this year.

The days of rain are for taking it slow.
Leaves that fluttered by yesterday
now painted on to the sidewalk.
Flattened out and pasted beneath my feet like wallpaper.

The days of rain make me think of warm sweaters
and roasted chickens and fires
in the living room.
Of bundling up and pulling on
my waterproof boots
to walk the dog through wind and rain
when no one else is around.
Of the shelter of four walls
and a shingled roof
and the warmth of the kitchen stove.
There will be wind storms
and much talk of the weather.
The sound of traffic will be drowned by
the steady beating of rain
and everything will be green.
These are the days when you hold your lover tight.
When you feel a little bit crazy on the inside.