Desert Rain

My throat is dry, parched, toasty and cracked
the ground beneath my feet is shaky, uneven
The sun hot on my back, the wind still and flat
There are no clouds, no break
Solid is the weight of the heat

Water is the illusion that taunts me
the ground and sky unrelenting
The sun once considered my friend,
now my enemy
Desperate is the weight of my heart

My heart is this desert
unrelenting, unforgiving, dry, cracked and barren
not placed in this desert, for growth and renewal
but chosen by my wandering heart
And now I'm lost in this wasteland
Empty is the weight of my soul

Then the rain comes
each drop like a splash of life
flowing like sheets of blessed relief
my whole body rejoices
The weight of the pain of that torturous sun is gone
Replaced by the joyous weight of the rain

It touches every part of me
filling my soul with joy, giddiness even
water touches my head, my hands, my feet and even my heart
leaving me quenched and more alive than I could imagine

Life flows with every drop of this Living Water
Hope is found
and joy renewed
even the dry and weary land that is the desert
is renewed, transformed

What beauty to be placed here
or to find yourself in
Defeat, surrender and life anew
That is the joy of the desert
when Living Water flows over me
this wasteland now a garden, it's renewed and transformed!

M. Ruth Smith
September 2008