Who Cries The Rain?

Who hears the fishes when they cry? - Thoreau

Image: pinterest

convict today

acquit tomorrow

beg, steal or borrow

toss me the keys to my heart's sorrow

child of innocence

distant cousin to sin

orphan of faith's reciprocal chagrin

birth me someone who will let me in

silhouette of light

shadow in darkness

tears of pain

tell me

tell me

who cries the rain

Author's Note

"The life of a good man will hardly improve us more than the life of a freebooter, for the inevitable laws appear as plainly in the infringement as in the observance, and our lives are sustained by a nearly equal expense of virtue of some kind. The decaying tree, while yet it lives, demands sun, wind, and rain no less than the green one. It secretes sap and performs the functions of health. If we choose, we may study the alburnum only. The gnarled stump has as tender a bud as the sapling." - Thoreau

Reviews

[Fran Marie]

what a heartfelt
soulful piece ..indeed
who cries the rain;

we all do these days
more than not.
for its a sad state
of affair s in which
we strive each day
in a world so filled
with negative vibrations
steeped in the B.S.
thrown our way
on our society;
young and old alike
on a daily basis

nice writeup Pete

[Pete]

thanks for sharing a sobering truth fran. lets hope for drier days! ... :)

[Seriana]

I really like this one Pete. It's a fast read, one that just flows. And it hurts a little, which sometimes those are the best. I love your little Thoreau quotes. Helping me become more acquainted! Great write!

[Pete]

your kindness overflows. thank you for sharing ... :)

[Chris Shaw]

Really thought provoking poem Pete. . Ticked all the boxes. There is much to cry about these days. Anyone with a heart would bawl their eyes out at the atrocities and injustices in the world. There is no shortage of tears and if there are no tears it means some are turning their backs on what is happening in front of them.

Chris

[Pete]

i remember my parents often saying that they couldn't believe what was going on in the world and how things were changing so rapidly. now i am them. yes, there is so much going on that many become hardened. i see it everyday - i am shocked while others seem unfazed and oblivious ... :)

[Chris Shaw]

I too am continually shocked. You aren't alone.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

We are too often convicted because of our outlaw heart...and then in the next breath, acquitted...
A life of being in and out of love's prison...
"birth me someone who will let me in" So that my parole is filled with love and hope.
This is such a fantastic love poem...metaphorically striking.
"listen to the rhythm of the falling rain, telling me just what a fool I've been"----

[Pete]

i guess that's why the outlaw jose wales (clint eastwood) would just love 'em and leave 'em. wonderful song you mention by the cascades. thanks j. ... :)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

and Josie Wales, one of the five best westerns ever...I loved how he kept spitting at the dog and it would growl at him, yet it just kept tagging along for the journey. "A man's got to make a living somehow" "Dyin' ain't much of a livin'"

this poem is one my favorite I have read for a good while now.
j.

[barleygirl]

I love how you use rhyme & rhythm sparingly, yet it comes across strongly. I love how you state this like an abstract puzzle, prodding the reader to ponder. Your poem speaks to me of the impossible balancing act we are all doing, trying to be sensitive to the insurmountable s**t that's going on in our world & yet not letting our concern hijack our everyday lives & our writing agenda. When I'm too "plugged in", all I want to do is write poems to cry out about so much senselessness . . . but my writing style is to be lighthearted & nonsensical, so I stay unplugged. Then the question remains . . . if too many of us unplug (to survive) then who's doing the crying? (without a doubt, millions) Fondly, Margie

[Pete]

good point. great share. seems we're walking a tightrope and each day some fall off. we continue about our business some ignoring others who are affected crying ... :)

[SheIsMe]

Hits home completely. All the victims of these atrocities have cried their soul out in the rain. Letting the gutters of society take the remainder of our innocence down the drain. But we emerge fresh, purified, and ready for the sunshine to rejuvenate who we've become.

[Pete]

sometimes i don't know who i am anymore. the older i get things seem to be changing more rapidly. can't keep up. who changed all the rules ... :)

[sharonlee]

So moving and potent... crying in the rain hides our tears... this is moving.
Sharonlee

[Pete]

so much gets lost in the shuffle and swept under the rug. thanks for sharing ... :)

[lightsong]

it is You Pete, You cried the rain here for every heart in pain, and every neglected child by the society, those pure victims of the adults actions, "birth me someone who'll let me in" that hurt me deeply... when we will ever stop judging each others? when we will learn that those children did nothing wrong? and when we will learn it's in making something good out of bad where the world grows for the better?

[Pete]

i am always fascinated and in awe of people who turn bad into good - they are the real heroes - courageous and determined to keep fighting the good fight. so much going on in this world - must mean i'm getting older ... :)

[Poetic Beauty]

Ahh there is so much turmoil in the world and pain...

[Pete]

sad. i can barely keep up, sometimes i don't even want to anymore! ... :)

[Poetic Beauty]

Honestly I don’t watch much news. It’s overwhelming and a repeat of negativity over and over. I choose to experience the day for myself. To see the beauty that is there

[Pete]

i'm getting that way as well. when i pick up the remote, i say to myself, "i wonder what sick tragedy happened today." ... ")

[Poetic Beauty]

That’s most of what the news is. They tend not to do the heart warming and compassionate stories that are out there. It’s this person killed someone, COVID cases rising, and so on

The media really needs to rethink how the broadcast. I know many people who are no longer watching the news for this reason.

[Pete]

the other thing that gets me is how all the newswomen are attractive like someone unattractive can't tell us the news? such discrimination - anything to lure more eyeballs ... :)

[Poetic Beauty]

That is true as well

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Pete... many of us have cried the Rain.... in our search for Love... Poetry should always be in our heart and soul. truly, Pat

[Pete]

you're right - part of being human and searching ... :)