Poem: After the rain

'Pellets like steel slicing into the dusty soil...'

by Joyce Lillie Robinson 2nd October 2026

It arrives today –
Pellets like steel slicing into the dusty soil
Colours shifting, flowers shaking,
Spent leaves scattering like straw.
Roots that were spaghetti threads
Caked in a powdery mesh
Now reviving – sodden with lushness,
Decay and debris wielding to life.
Wind humming, branches shivering, birds flittering,
The soil becoming pitted with tiny caverns,
Scuttling bugs cavorting in the deluge.
I imagine worms breathing again,
And other microscopic creatures
Sighing with relief. It’s over. For now.
The summer’s swelter sliding away
As Nature retrenches its losses.