Rainscent

You tell me the smell of rain
is bacteria called actinomycetes.

But that doesn't explain
the sensation of earth exhaling,

the release of exhaustion from green,
and the replenishment of blossom.

It doesn't account for the spears of plant
rushing to collide with plumptious drops

and the fragrant floral streamers
interfacing with the breeze.

It doesn't describe how the scent
allows us to step for a moment

off the treadmill of black furry bodies
and pink flickering tails

to remember the exhale of God
in our nostrils.