Reflections on Rain

Te Ao Hou, March 1968, Page 56

Reflections on Rain Soggy wool, parted in the middle Swept cleanly down the sides. Muddy under the belly, Hanging like a fringe over the face and eyes; The weight is felt— One quick violent movement of the body and head And the droplets shower off In a fine spray; Then the teeth plunge again into the fodder

To give warmth to a body half-frozen By snow and rain, Slashed by an unrelenting wind Sweeping off bare, bleak granite And sodden bush. The grain is crushed flat— The farmer's trial is in many different ways— The inundation of rich land, The residue of useless silt; Communications cut—the flooded road, The poles swaying in the wind, Clinging desperately to the earth— Futile efforts. The hungry unpredictable river, Fed by crumbling banks and incessant rain Flows on— The stone-wall, the farm-gate, the homestead Pose no barriers in its journey to the sea— A course predetermined by the contours Of the farmer's own land And the natural gateways of valley after valley, The metal road and dirt track And every insignificant gully. Rain then, is the frustrating factor; from humble beginnings—the heavy, spaced drops Flinging mud like small eruptions; Then the coalescing into a controlled deluge— Trickles becoming pools, overflowing into braided streams— Potentially dangerous, but carrying the element vital to all Life— Water, a paradox The following essay and poem are written by Sharon White, aged 14, of Maropiu District High School, Northland.