Praise the Rain

We all know what “the curl of a plant” feels like under our fingertips, how the mist feels on our skin, and what a canoe sounds like moving through the water.  We have all felt the rain on our necks and arms.  Since today is sensory Saturday, and the sky is dark and rainy, take a break and enjoy every image invoked by Joy Harjo in her poem “Praise The Rain.” 

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Praise The Rain
by Joy Harjo

Praise the rain; the seagull dive
The curl of plant, the raven talk—
Praise the hurt, the house slack
The stand of trees, the dignity—
Praise the dark, the moon cradle
The sky fall, the bear sleep—
Praise the mist, the warrior name
The earth eclipse, the fired leap—
Praise the backwards, upward sky
The baby cry, the spirit food—
Praise canoe, the fish rush
The hole for frog, the upside-down—
Praise the day, the cloud cup
The mind flat, forget it all—

Praise crazy. Praise sad.
Praise the path on which we're led.
Praise the roads on earth and water.
Praise the eater and the eaten.
Praise beginnings; praise the end.
Praise the song and praise the singer.

Praise the rain; it brings more rain.
Praise the rain; it brings more rain.

-posted with the poet’s permission