Came the Rains, by Renee Cassese

Came the Rains

then came the rains

crying into the earth

tears providing nourishment

for flowers unbloomed

then came the rains

softening hard packed soil

creating entrance ways

for peonies to sprout

then came the rains

glistening on soft petals

pink as baby cheeks,

drooping even as they open

then came the rains

battering delicate blossoms

flattening leaves and stems

destroying what it created

then came the rains

(2011)

And this is the rainbow of leaves—bouquets of fire and brilliance that almost blind me yet I don’t blink

Beneath a snow quilt in its bedroom of frozen soil—- Does the crocus bulb know that come spring she’ll be the first flower to bloom?

Which galaxy did the star At the center of this apple Come from? If I take a big enough bite Of it can I leave the garden?

I want to capture in the gentle cup of verses the soul of life—- mine, yours, every living creature’s.