Torrents

It was a hard summer rain

The kind that comes from nowhere

A torrent

That reminds you

Terrifyingly

Just how hard it can come down.

 

Devoid of thunder

Just the crash of

Trillions of thick drops

We can barely see the fence across the street

From the porch where we stand

Barefoot.

 

I have my reservations about this.

 

You’ve set your phone up

On a chair so

we can have a video memory

That maybe you’ll cut up

Put music behind,

And put online.

Rain is getting on the carpet.

 

You run out first.

Into the street

Shouting free in a way I’ve never known.

The neighbor lady

watches with distrust

As I walk out too

Not into the street.

 

Glass.

Nails.

Screws.

Tetanus.

 

But I do dip my foot in

Cold, rushing, dirty water

Runs through my toes and you keep

yelping and laughing.

 

Then we sit on the porch

Your hair sticking to your shoulders

And my glasses fogging up

As the storm stops

And cars get stuck in the flood waters

By the old factories

Across the street.