Here in Alabama we're in a stage 3 drought... so, in an effort to coax some rain this way I've been reading rain poems! Lucky me, I was gifted a sweet little book of such poems (thank you, Ramona!) called ONE BIG RAIN: Poems for Rainy Days compiled by Rita Gray, illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke .
Hope you enjoy the poems. Thank you for reading! And don't forget to enter the giveaway for GO SOUTH TO FREEDOM by Frye Gaillard! Deadline midnight Oct. 31!
November Rain
- Maud E. Uschold
This autumn rainfall
Is no shower
that freshens grass
And brings the flower.
This rain is long
And cold and gray,
Yet sleeping roots
Are fed this way.
Trees and bushes,
Nearly bare
Of leaves, now chains
Of raindrops wear
Along each twig.
Some clear beads fall.
A tree could never
Hold them all.
Rain
(Translated from the Norwegian by Sarah J. Hails)
- Sigbjorn Obstfelder
One is one, and two is two -
we sing in huddles,
we hop in puddles.
Plip, plop,
we drip on roof top,
trip, trop,
the rain will not stop.
Rain, rain, rain, rain,
bucketing rain,
chucketing rain,
rain, rain, rain, rain,
wonderfully raw,
wet to the core!
One is one, and two is two-
we sing in huddles,
we hop in puddles.
plip, plop,
we drip on roof top,
trip, trop,
the rain will not stop.
I wish that I could send you some rain, my friend. We have had lots this week. I adore this little book...and Ryan is illustrator of READ! READ! READ! so I've been pouring over the pictures too. Have a wonderful time at the book festival! xxx
ReplyDeleteWe are in drought here, too. Today, I hear the wind playing pushy-shovy with the rain, driving it sideways. It's a welcome sound.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cover! Wishing you rain, Irene. Bucketing rain, enough for good puddle-hopping :-)
ReplyDeleteI feel like I'm living these poems...as Amy said, we've been having torrential rains up here in the northeast the past few days, so I hope you, Charles, and everyone down there get some precipitation soon.
ReplyDeleteI'm doing a special rain dance for you. Hope it works :). Wonderful poems; love the onomatopoiea in the second one.
ReplyDeleteWill do my best to wish some rain for you, too, Irene. I love the rhythm of these two poems, but that first one is my favorite. I love the idea of "chains of raindrops." Glad that Ramona found this for you!
ReplyDeleteOh, I think we must be getting all of your rain here! There's a reason my blog is Raincity Librarian....hurray for the soggy Pacific Northwest! But we did have a drought last summer, and it's truly pretty awful, so here's hoping you get some much-needed rain soon!
ReplyDeleteRefreshing poems, Irene. Hope the rain swoops into your corner of the universe soon. =)
ReplyDeleteSinging in the rain is what I think about as I read your post. We had in and out showers with in and out sun. Hearing the pitter patter moving to a roar is the sound of the rain that brings rawness to the days here on Long Island. I could relate nicely to these poems. Thanks, Irene.
ReplyDeleteLike someone else said, I would gladly send you a bit of our rain! This stanza of the poem had to have been written by someone familiar with the type of rain we get here:
ReplyDelete"This rain is long
And cold and gray,
Yet sleeping roots
Are fed this way."
But (and I try to remind myself of this when I start to resent the rain) the green growth that comes when those well-fed and sleeping roots awaken is surely worth the long, cold, gray rain.
Yet sleeping roots are fed this way....how tender and true.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely poem for a time that I defend against with sweaters and blankets and hot cups of tea. Thank you for this beauty.
Do you have any poems for cooler weather? It was so great to see you on Saturday. I'm sorry your crowd was so small, but I'm glad you were able to meet Madison. Looking forward to NCTE!
ReplyDeleteLove the phrase: "...now chains of raindrops wear..." Glad you like the book and hope some rain has made its way to you. We're having one of those November rain days - "long and cold and gray," but I've brightened it up with soup, a cozy blanket and cornbread and time to catch up on some blog reading.
ReplyDelete