I stand in the doorway and listen.
It’s a sound that is both familiar and foreign.
We’ve been anticipating it’s arrival,
but not with great expectation.
In our world these events come with little guarantee.
~
The family of four around the corner,
celebrate with great delight!
Inviting the rest of us to join in their dance.
~
But I’m listening for something else.
I’m listening for the collective sigh
that starts at the top of the tallest tree
and trickles down to the parched earth.
~
A sigh that says we can live a while longer.
A sigh that says there’s a future,
and new life waiting to burst forth.
Even the rocks and shingles relax in the knowing.
~
Tonight the gentle rain brings relief.
It cleans the air and saturates the earth.
~
I listen to the sound so familiar and foreign.
It calls me to listen and dance –
with the three year old around the corner.
~
It gives me hope that in the months to ahead
It will be more familiar than foreign.