Rain Watching

When I peek out our backdoor today, I can't help but think of William Carlos Williams' famous poem, "The Red Wheelbarrow":

"so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens."


Of course, our rain-glazed red wheelbarrow is next to a white and red tricycle. Regardless, there is something about the rain that seems to bring things into a new focus, meticulously coating everything it touches as if painting our surroundings with a coat of sealant; leaving puddles that find ill-covered toes and seep up pant legs, hitching a ride into our homes; opening the earth, letting the earthworms escape, and with them that distinctive smell of raw dirt. Our wheelbarrow sits sheened with rain, reminding us of the stalled work we've yet to do, the new work of our garden yet to come, and that little tricycle, well, the fun that's yet to be had.