As the Rain Begins…

The room darkened, darkened until
our nakedness became a form of gray;
then the rain came bursting,
and we were sheltered, blessed,
upheld in a world of elements
that held us justified.
In all the love I had felt for you before,
in all that love,
there was no love
like that I felt when the rain began…
~John Updike from “The Blessing” from Collected Poems.

As the rains return,
as we shelter together,
blessed by the passing years and miles,
our unknowns have become known,
our understanding breathed in silence.

Though we be gray as the clouds above,
our hearts still beat in synchrony
each pulsing moment
more sacred than the last.

Lyrics: A soft voice, a kind word
A tender touch in a hard world
Your voice like rain after the seeds are sown
Your kindness and grace is all I’ve ever known

We’re not the same, you and me
You’re an evergreen and I’m a maple tree
Sometimes I’m bare, sometimes I’m sweet
You can carry on consistently
And in a million little ways, you show
How to take two souls and make one home

You love the dirt, I find life in words
I sit and think, you relish your work
You could teach, teach a master class
Without a word you show us how to make a feast from scratch
And in a million little ways, you show
How to take two souls and make one home
And in a million little ways, you show
How to take two souls and make one home

A sanctuary for our children
A sanctuary for our fears and hopes
Here in the wilderness, our world longs for this
To be known and loved
To be known and loved

Lyrics: In the quiet misty morning
When the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing
And the sky is clear and red,
When the summer’s ceased its gleaming
When the corn is past its prime,
When adventure’s lost its meaning –
I’ll be homeward bound in time

Bind me not to the pasture
Chain me not to the plow
Set me free to find my calling
And I’ll return to you somehow

If you find it’s me you’re missing
If you’re hoping I’ll return,
To your thoughts I’ll soon be listening,
And in the road I’ll stop and turn
Then the wind will set me racing
As my journey nears its end
And the path I’ll be retracing
When I’m homeward bound again

Bind me not to the pasture
Chain me not to the plow
Set me free to find my calling
And I’ll return to you somehow

In the quiet misty morning
When the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing
I’ll be homeward bound again.

~Marta Keen “Homeward Bound”