Monday, October 27, 2008

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.

4 Comments:

Blogger Chris Never said...

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


Who opens a poem like this *grin*

It is very cool, you take that statement and then proceed to create beauty from it.

Favorite lines

"and the fragrant floral streamers
interfacing with the breeze."

Your combinations in each two line section are amazing.

1:51 PM  
Blogger burning moon said...

*smile* you alkways make me feel so clever, lol.

Those are my favourite lines too. I wanted to try and write an opposition, or contrast between science and nature, technical language and poetry.

2:00 PM  
Blogger burning moon said...

oh, and it was Dave who had originally said to me that that was the name for the smell you get when it stats to rain. I had thought it was you in one of your poems. Got that mixed up, but the idea of such an often remarked on 'natural' phenomenon having a scientific explanation sort of got me thinking ...

2:03 PM  
Blogger Chris Never said...

"I wanted to try and write an opposition, or contrast between science and nature, technical language and poetry."


That is why it struck me I think, because you managed to do so seamlessly.

I am astoundingly brilliant, but I have never used 'actinomycetes' in a poem *laughs*

2:27 PM  

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