Rain Songs
Every time it would rain
She would cry
I never understood
The pain she felt
At the sound of the rain beating down on a window pane
It was profound and unnerving
I would hold her
And dry her tears
But nothing stopped the tears
Wet sidewalks
And puddles in the park
Rivers raging wild
And old trees soaked by monsoons
I put my head on her bosom
And prayed
For anything that would stop the tears
And finally she would stop
And get up and leave me alone
She would sit out back on the stoop
Smoking a cigarette and talking about a boy
A boy from Vietnam
Lost so many years ago
In a different place and land
She was a Navy nurse then
And things were different
The rain on the tents at night and the cries of the dying
Young boys
Reminded her every time she heard the rain
Of heartbeats, so many heartbeats stopped by the rain
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