That rise
From sidewalks
In pouring rain,
All past voices
That rebuked
My youth
Return again
As lines of rain
Weave a tapestry
Of pain.
In glimmering darkness
Alleys are crackling
Crumpled cellophane
And watery wraiths
Haunt doorways
Down the lane;
And I still suffer your pain—
A bitter ache
No kind memory
Can anesthetize
With benzocaine,
Though I wish it could.
The house broods
Filled with shadows
As rain trails darken
The already gloomy afternoon
I recall your moods
Silent and distant
As storms of Venus…
Yet I still cherish each one.