Photo by Geetanjal Khanna
Return of the Three O’Clock Rains
Lorraine Caputo
The mornings are hot
under this near sun
& as noon approaches
clouds gather white, first
small, then large & larger
At midday
darker thunderheads build
to the east, roiling & crackling
from the jungle
By one, a few tentative drops fall
people rush to the trams
sheltered by eaves
the thunder nears
At two, lightning strikes close
with immediate claps, raising
screams from schoolchildren
waiting beneath store awnings
for their bus
& the rain intensifies
until the full aguacero
of chill rain floods
these three-o’clock streets
Lorraine Caputo
The mornings are hot
under this near sun
& as noon approaches
clouds gather white, first
small, then large & larger
At midday
darker thunderheads build
to the east, roiling & crackling
from the jungle
By one, a few tentative drops fall
people rush to the trams
sheltered by eaves
the thunder nears
At two, lightning strikes close
with immediate claps, raising
screams from schoolchildren
waiting beneath store awnings
for their bus
& the rain intensifies
until the full aguacero
of chill rain floods
these three-o’clock streets