A Lack of Rain by Michael Keshigian

If there were no rain,

there would be

far too little noise on the roof

or upon the window pane

that would distract us

from the pulse in our inner ear

through the silence at night,

no gutter song to lull us to sleep,

no applause of wet leaves

for thirst-quenching relief.

In a cloudless sky and barren landscape,

the rain would no longer astonish our senses

with torrents that flood the riverbeds

then angrily fall from summit’s edge

upon boulders that spray

a foaming mane of platinum.

Car wheels would pass like a cough,

the absence of a splash

that might instigate our adrenalin,

administers calm instead.

The sky would no longer

be crowded with giant gray eyelids

that occasionally coax the sun to sleep

and allow us to focus

upon the mysterious messages

their odd, translucent shapes impart.

Without the rain,

our very lives would drift instead,

fantasy vapors against the cobalt blue,

twinkling and as aimless as dust.

Michael Keshigian from New Hampshire, had his twelfth poetry collection, Into The Light, released in April, 2017 by Flutter Press  (https://www.createspace.com/7037872). He has been published in numerous national and international journals including Oyez Review, Red River Review, Sierra Nevada College Review, Oklahoma Review, Chiron Review and has appeared as feature writer in over a twenty publications with 6 Pushcart Prize and 2 Best Of The Net nominations. (michaelkeshigian.com)