Two Poems for the Rain Woman
I. Rock-Steady Ice
Rock-steady ice.
That is the precise truth of her.
Not a storm that rages,
but a glacier that’s settled in the marrow.
The rain inside is ancient,
patient,
frozen at its core.
She is not haunted.
She is holding a winter
that no spring can reach.
II. The Weather Within
The sky is mute, dry grey,
a painted backdrop.
Her stage.
Her screen.
The rain she feels is miles away,
a tearing between
her narrow throat
and where her heart should be.
Water streaks.
Her hat’s dark brim, a roof
to keep the weather in.
She doesn’t lift
her face.
She is not haunted.
She is holding winter —
Note: Rain Woman, painted by Ukrainian artist Svetlana Telets, illustrates a pale woman with elongated features, a long neck, and wearing a large black hat, standing in the rain. Telets’ painting was displayed in a local art gallery in Ukraine, where it was purchased and returned multiple times by buyers who reported the painting caused them to experience insomnia, nightmares, and an eery sensation of being watched.
Written for dVerse Poets Haunted Paintings: I chose the painting by Svetlana Telets, Rain Woman. Some images created with Midjourney; all writing is my own work.©Misky 2006-2026.
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