Poetry Corner: The Rains Return (to Santa Cruz County)

The Rains Return (to Santa Cruz County)
By Joe Fenton
Quietly protected in the shroud of soothing gray.
Cool clouds come down
Warm smoke rises from solitary chimney pipes
Among the swaying sequoia they mingle
They dance to the low and rhythmic beat.
Drips that linger in a meditative metronome, 
Left from last night’s crescendo, to keep time for renewing growth.
From the secluded cabin of the soul we search 
In clarity we connect.
The mystic system invites us to join in and understand
Quieted and soothed under the gray-green blanket of this costal womb
We are slowed enough to germinate
To make plans to participate
Little gifts have been hidden.
Tucked in every corner
By every being;
Spores and seeds of thoughts
To be opened in dew time.
Under the deep breath of the mountain 
We gently brace for the bursting open 
Of melodious regeneration
Harmony revealed
Unwrapped for all to see.
Shriveled sheaves of last years party 
Are washed away;
Repurposed in an array of carbon recalculation.
Sipping warmth under simple cover
In a kitchen
On a porch
Or simply soaked on the trail
We soak it in so we can send it out.
– Joe Fenton is a Ben Lomond resident.