Saturday, August 29, 2009

rain drops

it's a rainy day outside . . .


the view out the front window is a bit blurry . . .


the melody in arid drifts of rain,
is the visible, serene and fictive air
of inspiration rising as if in prayer.
from "afternoon of a faun" by stephane mallarme


the hostas are happy about the rain


so are these little plants

and so am i!
i love to walk in the rain,

i always have.

sure it finds its way through clothing,
d
o
w
n

warm backs,

even down warm tummy's!

then some of it finds its way from my forehead,
along my nose,
and drips onto my outstretched tongue.

that's right a fifty-two year old man walking 'round with his tongue stuck out to catch raindrops.
(i do it in the winter when it snows as well!!)

could one drop taste better.
could i treasure one drop of water more?

one little drop
that began its journey who knows where?

i love what santoka taneda says about rainy afternoons~

just as it is —
it rains,
i get wet,
i walk

yes i do!

48 comments:

Sixpence and A Blue Moon said...

To walk in the rain or dance in the rain...soul therapy.

When I lived in Germany, I would get up at 2 a.m. and go outside and walk in the snow - it was so refreshing to feel something so fresh and clean fall across my skin, and childlike catching snowflakes on my tongue.

The flowers appear to be very appreciative of the natural watering they received.:)

xoxo

Lisa Ursu said...

Your posts are always a feast for the senses. Thanks so much for sharing.

Titus said...

Can't say I share your enthusiasm for rain-walking, steven - but I am in awe of your hostas! What, no slugs in Canada?

NanU said...

Me too, I love catching snowflakes on my tongue. And raindrops, but only if I can do so without getting wet. And I walk on curbs and low walls, just like a person a small fraction of my age.
That's a beautiful view from the window!
Enjoy your rain!

Rachel Fenton said...

I wish you well with your teaching and please don't reply to my comment :)

Raindrops on hostas are one of my favourite natural treasures, along with raindrops on alchemilla mollis.

Dan Gurney said...

How I miss the rain in the long, rain free summers! We often go from late April through late October with nary a drop of rain. Like you, I love walking in the rain.

Crafty Green Poet said...

beautiful photos, specailly the second, the blurring really adds atmosphere...

I love walking in the rain. As i said on my blog recently, there's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes (a Norwegian saying apparently). Obviously there are extremes though, which wouldn't be good for walking....

alaine@éclectique said...

We drove home today in the rain. In our absence, 25ml in the rain gauge! Love rain. Snow expected tomorrow!

Joanna said...

The raindrops on the hosta leaves are so pretty. I like the little haiku too. We've had no rain here for weeks and weeks--so different from our normal damp summer. I could use a little walk in the rain some time soon. Best wishes for your return to teaching.

steven said...

hello sixpence, it's so cool for me to know that there are sensualists wo understand the little things that appeal to me and are even important to me like snow and rain on my tongue!!! the flowers appreciate the rain - i't sbeen a little while since a decent amount of rain has dropped 'round here. when it started in the middle of the night there was thunder to go with it!!! have a lovely day sixpence and thanks for your sweet comments. steven

steven said...

hello titus, there may be slugs but i've never seen them!!! the hostas have been the easiest and most luxurious plants i've put into the gardens here. we have several varieties. i have a neighbour whose entire garden is nothing but hostas - all sorts - they're really beuatiful!!! thanks for dropping by. steven

steven said...

hello nanu, another childlike adult!!! magic!! i am acurb walker and a railway track walker. one advantage of working with children is the total immersion in the simplicities (and complexities) of childhood. the view out the window is the front of the house. there's a really old black cherry tree that's struggling but i love it so hopefully we'll see it through the upcoming winter. have a peaceful day and a big hug to the pink bunny from my daughter!!! steven

steven said...

hi rachel, no no no, i'm delighted to reply to your comment and will always do so (maybe slower than the summertime responses!!).
now rachel - you can't be using latin names for plants here and figure i'll know what it is!! i have no clue!!! so i looked it up and i see that it has large frilly-edged leaves and yes, it looks really cool with rain on it!!! thanks for that rachel. steven

steven said...

hi dan, i can't imagine going that long without rain although we've had fairly long stretches (years ago). it's part of the sensory environment for me and while i think the mortheast coast fogs would suffice to a point, i don't think they'd really replace the rain for me!! walking anywhere in the rain is magic for me (and it's the same for you!!) but in the woods with rain dripping off evergreen branches. the animals skittering across fallen leaves, well there's so much heaven here on earth and that's one more proof for me. have a peaceful day. steven

steven said...

hello crafty green, i love that norwegian phrase. it's so true!! yes there are extremes, in the winter i often walk home from school - eight km - and the temperatures can get into the minus twenties (celsius) at which point i have to rely on the layers of winter clothing i wear to keep me warm. i usually find the first ten minutes are especially challenging but after that i'm nice and warm!!! that's coming up in about three month's time. hard to imagine. have a lovely day. steven

steven said...

hello alaine - that's a fair bit of rain - and you're still expecting snow!!! we get similar back-to-back sorts of weather in spring. still, it's coming 'round for you and soon it'll be full-blown spring warmth on your face. have a lovely day alaine. steven

steven said...

hi joanna - thanks so much! i'm excited to return to my classroom of course but there's a lot i'll miss. it'll all still be there but i won't be able to give it the quality of attention i might like to. yes, the weather out there has been very different for the last year or so really. extremes of temperature an the usual patterns somehowe absent. it'll all come back you watch!! have a lovely day. steven

steven said...

hello liza - i nearly forgot to reply to you there! i try to share as much as i feel and know. i hope that in doing that, you can get something of the sense of wonder and real happiness that i get from how i connect to the world. thanks so much for dropping by!! steven

Anonymous said...

Remember the movie, "Singing in the Rain" with Gene Kelly? That was the first time I ever saw anyone dancing in the rain and liking it. After that I tried it a few times but never sang a song. I like to hear the rain patter on the metal roofs. That puts me to sleep like riding on trains and hearing the clicky clack of the wheels.

I have some purple seedum in front that looks a lot like your plant photo.

Thanks for your visit to my Pick a Peck of Pixels Blog and for your comment there about wearing long underwear. Pick a Peck of Pixels

steven said...

hey abe - i love that scene for sure. i haven't danced in the rain myself but i have sung - on my own usually. i like to hear the sound of rain on a canvas tent or on thin roofs like a shed might have. it makes my whole body soften and takes me back to the many other times when i've been lucky enough to have that experience. thanks for visiting her abe!!!! have a peaceful afternoon. steven

hope said...

Rain always makes me feel extra creative...I haven't a clue why. I really loved the close up of the leaf with rain drops.

Ah yes, the little kid in me will never grow up! [Which is fortunate since I'm a towering 5 feet,1 inch tall.] I often wonder if it's the writer in me, propelled forward by childlike curiosity, that makes the little things so interesting...things that other people don't even notice.

Have a great school year!

steven said...

hello hope - children see things as we see them but without the filters. so the gift we are given of a direct relationship with our experiencing gets clouded, tucked away, even hidden. unless - you're prepared to risk all and hang onto the childlike in who you are. which you have!!! so hurray for hope - it can't help but make you a better writer if better means you have a direct pipeline to everything inside and around you. have a peaceful day. steven

The Bug said...

Love the pictures of the rain on plants - seeing wet leaves always makes me feel anything is possible for some reason.

We had a DELUGE as we headed to a university function last night (Ben Franklin exhibit - super cool!) - hubby & I together under the golf umbrella racing into the building. We still got wet because of the wind. That feeling of coming inside from that sort of blustery wind is pretty dern comforting!

Lorac said...

Hello Steven! Love the poem. I too will still taste the rain or snow flakes. I love storms and have to counsel myself not to get to far out into them! I have when,very happy, danced in the rain!

steven said...

hello bug and thanks for your kind comments!! it's a magic sometimes giggly feeling to grab an umbrella and share it with someone as you run. sometimes it's as much about cursing the weather gods as well!!! i too love that amazing feeling of warmth and security when you get out of the rain. it's like a bonus after the lovely feelings i associate with rain itself!!!! have a peaceful day. steven

steven said...

hi lorac, welcome and thanks for your cool comment. i love storms also and keep wondering if that's how it'll end up - me standing out there watching the lightning race across the sky and then kerblam!!!! a hot neon pink and electric blue tendril will finger down from the sky and pass through my unsuspecting body!! that's why i watch from close to buildings or through windows. have a lovely day. see you again. steven

ellen abbott said...

Glorious rain. I wouldn't say our drought has broken, but we have been getting some showers with a little more frequency.

steven said...

hello ellen, some rain is better than none is what i imagine you must be feeling. there are so many areas in drought now it's worrisome because it affects not only the natural cycles but the food production and of course there's always the threat of fires. thanks for dropping by and have a peaceful afternoon!! steven

James said...

Oh how I wish tha it would rain.
Very nice posts.

Goldenrod said...

When you walk around in winter with your tongue hanging out to try and catch snow flakes, are you successful, or do you just freeze your teeth, tongue and gums? :)

steven said...

hey james - you've got a sweet blog going with some fine photography!!! nice. i'll be checking in as often as i can. rain? well it lasted through the night and into the mid-morning here and then turned into some mile high puffballs that suddenly turned and left with a humid sort of feeling in their wake. hang in there my man. it'll rain soon enough!! steven

steven said...

good question goldenrod, it actually lands on your tongue and you can geel it - oh and the ones on your eyelashes, cheeks, throat. it's all about not being greedy. the greedy ones end up with chilled chops!!! have a lovely evening down in texas!!! steven

Barry said...

A walk in a warm and gentle rain on a summer's day is as near perfection as this world allows.

Thanks for the reminder Steven.

steven said...

hi barry - you're absolutely right you know!!! next chance you get - if everything comes together for you in that moment. head out. get wet!!! have a peaceful evening. steven

Delwyn said...

Hi Steven

What I remember from childhood and still love is the smell of rain on hot and dusty playgrounds...especially concrete...so refreshing and renewing...invigorating

we do love to sit out in a summer storm, but under the verandah and listen to the rain timpani on the tin roof...


Happy days

SG said...

Lovely.. you know what.. It is a little after 8 on sunday morning, and it is raining here too... I have this strong urge to actually go out walking and just make a refreshing start to my day!

steven said...

hello delwyn, see for me it's rain inside a shed - the coal shed at our house in manchester, my grandad's woodworking shed, and the odd cabin here and there that i've slept in. tents are my favourite place - canvas tents. they're rare nowadays. but i'm with you sitting out in a summer storm. it's blissful!! have a lovely day by the river! steven

steven said...

hi phoenix, i'm guessing you're in australia or new zealand if we're that far apart in time. it's eleven o'clok at night - almost time for me to go and read some more and sleep. i hope you do go for a walk. lovely to see you. steven

Kerry said...

Thank you for the beautiful words and pictures. I love the rain and look forward each year to the wet months in the Pacific Northwest. The sound of it, the feel of it, and the smell of it.

Golden West said...

Ahh, rain! We can hardly wait, as we usually go 5-6 months with none. We're currently in the midst of water rationing and hoping for a wet winter to refill the reservoirs. Nothing like a good rain to clear the air and settle the dust!

Rachel Fox said...

I have a wet walking poem too. Maybe I'll post it next time it rains here. Shouldn't have to wait too long (though it's sunny today).
x

steven said...

hey kerry, thanks for your kind comment. i hope to visit the pacific northwest one day. my brother lives in vancouver and has told me so much about his trips down the coast. i would love to see the big surf, the rainforests, the mountains, and the rain and fog. i knwo that for some the rain and fog is a bit too much but like you, i love the rain - which makes life that much easier because it can't be sunny all the time right!!! have a peaceful day. steven

steven said...

hi golden west, nice to see you!! i can't imagine no rain for that long, water rationing and hoping for water but that's your reality. wow. as i said in my comment to kerry, i love rain and fog and i actually think i would miss them because if it goes for a month without rain here (except of course in the winter) i notice it. have a peaceful day. steven

steven said...

hi rachel, thanks for visiting!! i expect you deal with your fair share of rain. when i walked the pennine way up from derbyshire into the "bottom end" of scotland it seemed to rain at some point every day. which was fine as weather seems to move fairly quickly across the british isles and rain has so many different forms. yesterday my daughter and i were out walking and i said "see this is how it rains a lot of the time in manchester". it was a light but steady drizzle that i recall from my childhood. i know the inuit have umpteen names for different kinds of snow. i wonder if anyone's bothered to do the same with rain?!! have a lovely day rachel. steven

Margaret Pangert said...

Hi Steven! Many of these photos look like "made" art? They're beautiful as well as the "au naturel" ones, and I love how you've strung them together with droplets of rain.

steven said...

hi margaret, it's funny that - how nature can contain the features of found art. i see that for the first time in your words. thanks for opening my eyes a bit more!!!! i hope that this day is kind to you. steven

Cheryl Cato said...

Steven... could you please send the rain down to Bastrop, Texas? We haven't had appreciable rain in 2 years... if we were to get rain and there was no lightening I would thankfully walk in it. Lizzy

steven said...

hi lizzy - i spoke as clearly as i can to the sky gods and asked them if the weather patterns that have endured for as long as we have known could perhaps be reversed for a while as my friend lizzy needs the full weather spectrum!!! no promises lizzy but i thought i saw a little movement towards the south! steven