First Monsoon Rain

Softly

a sigh is blown,

scuttering leaves into the night.

Suddenly

the crisp crack of the lightning's whip

stings the sky

and the rain (oh, is it rain?) begins.

Across the land

in one lithe movenment,

men open their doors,

breathe in the mixture of drought and damp,

lift their faces to feel the drops,

smile at the dappling dust at their feet,

grateful

for dappling dust.