It's Still Life

A Withering Rain

for example, he says,
the rain drummed on small thunder,
but we called the drought rain.
The red ground naked by night —
a fine drizzling,
a withering rain.
To dance, to dance,
into all that falling
and blowing at clouds,
and men with mud faces
spilling the air, and
the mist and corn, and
a watering-can (with holes
in parts where heaviest).
We buried it all
for a sip of magic.

Miz Quickly’s Day 5: ““Limitations”” Notes: the word “magic” is from the source text’s title. The Golden Bough: a study of magic and religion by Sir James George Frazer, Chapter 5. The Magical Control of the Weather Section 2: The Magical Control of Rain. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3623/3623-8.txt . The image is from Unsplash and without copyright restriction.