poetry month: april rain song

As they say, April showers bring May flowers.

Raindrops and smiles on beautiful Lake Hallstatt, Austrian Alps (2019).

April Rain Song

Let the rain kiss you

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops

Let the rain sing you a lullaby

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk

The rain makes running pools in the gutter

The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night

And I love the rain.

~ Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was an early innovator of jazz poetry and is best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance centered in Harlem, New York City in the 1920s and 1930s, it redefined Black identity, and blended African culture with urban American culture. Langston Hughes grew up in the Midwest and became a prolific writer at an early age. As a matter of fact, he attended Central High School in Cleveland, Ohio, where he began writing poetry in the eighth grade. (I'll give Ohio a shout out whenever the opportunity arises).

I enjoy taking walks in the rain, with or without an umbrella. There’s something deeply satisfying about it. The soft, earthy scent that rises when raindrops meet dry ground, the steady rhythm of water tapping against leaves and pavement, it all creates a quiet kind of calm. It lifts my mood and settles my thoughts.

I’m drawn to the way puddles mirror the world, turning sidewalks into fleeting works of art. And every now and then, the kid in me insists on splashing right through them.

There’s a saying that "there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing." I take that to heart. A raincoat, a hood, and a willingness to step outside are all it takes. A little rain never hurt anyone, and sometimes, it’s exactly what one needs.