Summer Rain

At last,

out of the heat,

dust

and fires,

rain came.

Not a lot;

just enough

to lay the dust,

freshen the air,

lift spirits.

A passing entertainment

rather than

a resolution

of the summer drought

gripping the land.

A few forks of lightning

in the western sky,

a rumbling of thunder

overhead,

then the downpour.

Refreshing rain,

drumming on the roof,

flooding the gutters

and clearing the air.

Welcome visitor.

But then it was gone,

eastward over the hills

to spread its joy

elsewhere,

to others.

Until autumn,

the dry would return,

the dust stir,

the fires rekindle.

Summer.

April scenes, just north of Gulnare, South Australia, following rain.