the rain comes on suddenly,
too sudden.
they are unprepared, their hoods from their hoodies
are all they have, their
umbrellas are forgotten at home, they are
unfamiliar with michigan weather,
where the saying goes
“if you don’t like the weather,
wait ten minutes.”
they realize this soon but
not soon enough.
the water that the drain rejected has seeped
into their converse, their nike air force ones, their checkered vans,
cleaning the once-white soles but
leaving them damp,
uncomfortable.
their solution for this is coffee
like it is for many of their problems,
cold, iced tea, contrasting with the weather,
whisked in their hands, flurrying away.
the sidewalks get their dose of cleaning, from
shoes that walk miles upon it every day,
the leaves lose their crunch, and instead
shine brightly on the pavement,
like walking on rainbow road
from mario kart.
a topic of conversation,
rain is.
all day long,
coats are thrown off, umbrellas shaken at doorsteps,
they say “it’s pouring out there!”
and they have this same conversation every time it rains,
their shoes always get wet,
they always get coffee,
they always walk on rainbow road,
they go through this every time it rains,
and yet their love for it
never wavers.
