WHEN CAME SUMMER'S FIRST RAIN

when came summer’s first rain
I went about turning off lights
and unscrewing bulbs to make the house dim
(would that I could light the house by lantern)
for light detracts from the sound of the rain
hitting pavement and roof and pool

I stand by the window
writing this poem by the light
of moon through cloud
and flash lightning

my children
sleep weary
arose from their floor places
cars and toy abandoned
to stand by the porch door

they look and listen & cry to be let out
to dance between the raindrops
and must be bribed with a bath
which they take in payment instead
water being water to them

my son, normally a splash otter in the tub
sits as a turtle tonight
within his shell, contemplating the water’s surface
and the sound of the sky’s water falling outside

if there is a way to ring in the changes
and shake hands with spring
then this is it
and it is good