Poetry: Mother and Father

October 8, 2021 – Los Angeles: Richard Rensberry, from Michigan, is an author of over thirty books and a recipient of the 2020 AFABW Int “Outstanding Contribution as an Artist Award.”

Mother and Father

If I were the rain,
I would be less begrudging.
I’d teach Heaven how to beat
a rhythmical drum. I would
speak fluent and decisive electricity. I’d strike up
a conversation with the wind
and babble with the trees and roofs. If I were the rain,
I’d hammer away as if I could play
the piano like Lewis, Mr. Jerry Lee.
I’d fill buckets. I’d gorge streams.
I’d purge the skies with claps of thunder
if I were the rain. I’d be anxious to please.
I’d be the crescendo in a symphony choir.
I’d be mother and father to the land and seas.