raindrops

I have been blessed with a most joyous rainy weekend. All day Saturday, at my parents' house, the rain fell. I love rain anywhere, but sometimes I think it might be best there. Sometimes, when rain begins to fall, the pitter-patter on the leaves is so soft and crescendos so slowly that it could just as easily be a strong wind blowing through the branches of the trees of the surrounding woods. We can't know if it's raining or not unless we look at the surface of the lake and see the patterns of the raindrops.


On Easter Sunday, my parents and my grandmothers and I played cards in a quaint little sunroom all afternoon as the rain came down. Springtime rain makes me feel so vital. And fortunately, it followed me back to school yesterday. This photo is of my deck this morning, with little petals in the little puddles. The best song to go along with a bouncy, lively, wet spring day (for me, anyway) is James Taylor's "Up Er Mei." (Unfortunately, I'm having trouble finding anything other than the Amazon clip to listen to on the web. But it's on his album called "Hourglass," for what it's worth.)


See more rain-love here and read a cute little poem about rain by Shel Silverstein, after the jump.

Photo by Shanti Knight

Rain

by Shel Silverstein

I opened my eyes

And looked up at the rain,

And it dripped in my head

And flowed into my brain,

And all that I hear as I lie in my bed

Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.

I step very softly,

I walk very slow,

I can't do a handstand--

I might overflow,

So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said--

I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head.

at one with the earth

Photo by Ibai Acevedo via My Modern Met


The sky was light and the land all dark

The sun rose up over Central Park

I was walking home from work

Gaia

The petal sky and the rosy dawn

The world turning on the burning sun

Sacred wet green one we live on

Gaia

Run run run run said the automobile and we ran

Run for your life take to your heels

Foolish school of fish on wheels

Gaia

Turn away from your animal kind

Try to leave your body just to live in your mind

Leave your cold cruel mother earth behind

Gaia

As if you were your own creation

As if you were the chosen nation

And the world around you just a rude and

Dangerous invasion

Gaia

Someone's got to stop us now

Save us from us— Gaia

No one's gonna stop us now

We thought we ought to walk awhile

So we left that town in a single file

Up and up and up mile after mile after mile

We reached the tree line and I dropped my pack

Sat down on my haunches and I looked back down

Over the mountain

Helpless and speechless and breathless

Gaia

Pray for the forest pray to the tree

Pray for the fish in the deep blue sea

Pray for yourself and for God's sake

Say one for me

Poor wretched unbeliever

Someone's got to stop us now

Save us from us Gaia

No one's gonna stop us now

(listen)

I love the earth, and in honor of its own special holiday, here is one of earth-lover James Taylor's greatest anthems to the planet. Walk somewhere today. Pick up trash. Help an animal. Buy a hybrid. Call your representatives and tell them you care, and you expect them to defend the planet. No matter where you stand politically, it's all we've got.

P.S. If you're in New York, check out this Earth Day activity list.

P.P.S. Check out Earth Day Network.

P.P.P.S. Check out Anthropologie's Earth Day celebrations.