Mike Farman
An ancient Chinese story tells of King Xiang of Qu traveling to Gaotang. Resting on his journey, he dreams of a beautiful sorceress, the Lady of Wu Mountain, who offers herself to him. As she leaves, she tells him: “At daybreak, I am the morning clouds; at dusk, the driving rain.”
It isn´t only kings enjoy the bliss of saturation;
this sorceress is lavish with her gifts of clouds and rain.
Some other witch or siren may extend an invitation,
but most of us still flourish in the bliss of clouds and rain.
No country for old men? Find me a better destination:
flesh, fowl and fish appear to thrive in clouds and rain.
At the borders of Byzantium, few possess the motivation,
though some would wish for holy fires, escaping clouds and rain.
Umbrella furled, this soulful scribe may opt for hesitation,
confuse qafir with radif in the depths of clouds and rain.
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Tree Riesener
Let's not be so angry, we need to understand past storms when we deplore clouds and rain.
Hold my hand. We'll walk together, maybe agree on a fragile hope to deplore clouds and rain.
After hurricane's night, hanging heavily over ruins, birds, deer and us, lost without sunlight,
we see only menace in changing skies, despair that flooding pain still may pour, clouds and rain.
Wait for a change in weather, hope for repentant purple to come from blue and red.
The wind may blow debris away. We'll still be stormy but see through more clouds and rain.
The sun and blue skies are always there if we, like emblem birds, can break free of dark gravity.
Yes, storm may come again but only under where the lark can soar, those low clouds and rain.
Death is safer where blackness reigns. Danger can reach you behind triple window seals.
Don't hide in in the storm cellar's safe darkness, walk into the wind, explore clouds and rain
When the time has come and the house is destroyed, don't rebuild with the same old plans.
Make a new home, embark bravely toward Ithaca, leave behind, on the shore, clouds and rain.
My children, walking into storm, brighter days are far behind, and maybe they won't come again
but you can shelter under a battered, branch-torn tree that only bends under more clouds and rain.
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Linda Papanicolaou
The TV weather forecaster's predicting clouds and rain;
we're loaded for a picnic—how annoying! Clouds and rain
Wash on the line, the car's just waxed, your boots are caked in mud —
who here has not had cause for cursing clouds and rain?
A team of little leaguers trudges home: two outs with three
on base they called it in the final inning — clouds and rain
We've seen Cat in a Hat; what's there to do today? Bored stiff
we mope about the house, gripe at unending clouds and rain
Thane of Glamis, Cawdor, king hereafter cries a witch;
upon the heath three sisters meet in lightning, clouds and rain
Almanac in hand, a farmer squints across his field
into a sunset dusty with bypassing clouds and rain
At reservoirs with dropping levels etched on canyon walls
the water skiers ask, why aren't we getting clouds and rain?
O elephant on parched savanna, polar bear on shrinking ice,
where will the west wind blow, this global warming, clouds and rain?
The first drop splashes on your nose, another on my sleeve;
we raise our umbrellas and laugh in greeting clouds and rain
Creeks overflow, the redwoods bend beneath torrential wind
kelp tangles wash upon the shore in drenching clouds and rain
And then the deluge ends, flood water ebbs in rivulets and streams
as Ishtar casts her rainbow necklace, blessing clouds and rain
So do you see, my child, that fields of daffodils in Spring
are worth one day spent indoors contemplating clouds and rain?
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Majid Mohiuddin
The farmers tilling the sun-burnt pastures cheer the clouds and rain,
Travelers with no caravanserai will fear the clouds and rain.
The blessings fall upon those who are quick to give Him all praise,
From the heavens comes the sky's thunderous takbir! then clouds and rain.
Would Allah cause the sky's eclipse when the praised one lost his son?
Not even for Muhammad does the world tear these clouds and rain.
Every man worships an idol, whether an 'ism' or fame,
Glory goes to the One who knows how to steer the clouds and rain!
He gathers up the waters in a cycle to fall again,
From death to life, can you be any freer than clouds and rain?
He who whispers into the hearts of men has no power here,
For it is terror of the mind that gives fears, then clouds and reigns.
I beseech the moon for her light when up all night in prayer,
Who would take on as their evershifting pir, the clouds and rain?
The stars challenge Shahzadah's visions of the heavens above,
To the earthbound fool, the glowing sun seems near the clouds and rain.
- caravansarei
- a waystation along the caravan root (inn)
- takbir ("takbeer")
- a declaration that when one person says it, the rest (audience)
will usually say, "God is Great!" (like Amen). It's also used in prayer
between different parts of it to signify the next step.
- pir ("peer")
- mentor, master, guide (in sufi tradition, the Master)
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Joel Neubauer
With you I hover, cleaved to strict intensity, as intimate as cloud and rain.
From you I cower, perish, separate bereaved – immediate as cloud and rain.
I trace my fingers' utmost sensitivity upon your airs of seamless form.
Your substance swift disperses on my skin as sexless celibate as cloud and rain.
I suffer that I love you; and absorb my love for energy that loves remain.
For Love of mystery, I drain myself to be as passionate as cloud and rain.
I strain to sieve a laudable design your light might viably economize.
Imprisoned thoughts, like prism light refracted, fall and fashion wit as cloud and rain.
My independence ever I declare against your absent high transcendent reign.
You rule Earth's dirtfields as a multinational conglomerate, as cloud and rain.
I saw my mother Hagar cry, a parched mirage who loved as she abandoned me.
I witnessed Hagar's arid pain and welled with grace and rationed it as cloud and rain.
The busy-ness of dizziness disintegrates my dancer-dervish mystic praise.
I trade my spiny earthy axis spin and turn invertebrate as cloud and rain.
I fear the strictures of involvement, vote for freedom from all foci alien.
On me your all elects to fall – you form your own electorate – as cloud and rain.
I hate you (and you know it), but I love you with a graced virility.
Oh, drown me out – recycle me – and save me for the hell of it, as cloud and rain.
In honesty, I fear an emptied gulf between us; faith I claim through gutters flows.
Your gutters run renewed and full; they fill the gulf's tide infinite as cloud and rain.
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Clouds and Rain
Margaret Bell
Fall came with cool winds and dark clouds and rain.
My love left quickly beneath gray clouds and rain.
How would we live in a land without water?
God has a reason to send clouds and rain.
The music of life plays throughout the year.
I sing in sunshine, in snow, clouds and rain.
Rare blooms in the desert appear in dry sand.
They have no exposure to dark clouds and rain.
God holds my life in the palm of his hand.
His love comes to me in sunshine, clouds and rain.
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Raindust
Rainspouts send plaintive song-messages upwards in gift parcels,
Sending an SOS to Rain-Gods in magnificent cloud-castles,
They're confused by our mess in clouds and rain.
I see a stormy world next for feeding our fears,
Raindust weeps muchly and blood is in her tears,
Ominous signs appear, soiled clouds and rain.
How to change the unnatural world's nature-fickle perspective,
Assisi ignorant, fool yourselves not, — change — or a deluge expected.
Of dark clouds and rains.
The rainbow and rare moonbows give bubble-souls hope,
Good luck on that one, feel the noose tighten around the throat.
As in a cyclone of clouds and rain.
Rainstorms a-comin' for certain, storm-cone shows it is so,
All this digging — gems, gold, oil, will hasten gail winds blow.
Bringing stormier clouds and rain.
The heavy drops that fall warn of abounding dark grime,
Feeling grubby they sob, asking payment for our crime,
Against Earth's clouds and rain.
Rainswept tired planet, dry scorched soil, dimming sun,
Shall not harvest good food but black inedible dung
From crazed clouds and rain.
A bright-fiery sky at night is a sailor's delight,
A bright-fiery sky at dawning is the sailor's warning.
Grab the Captain's life-skills from clouds and rain.
So get a grip dear Bardess, let not the signs haunt you,
Tell of moonglow and heart-glow, don't let the deluge daunt you.
Survive and loyally embrace clouds and rain.
O Raindust have certain hope on this rainy day,
Sing night ghazals, day-bright ghazals to the Elders of Fae
Love's lightening electrifies clouds and rain.
Rain-cloud-God utters "Gail-Nam-Gar" Transmuter of dust into water,
Respect him — for floods, storms and gales, are his precocious daughter.
Born of pure clouds and rain.
- Fae
- Irish elves and fairies
- Gail-Nam-Gar
- One of the Zoroastrian 101 names of God
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Bill Batcher
Gino asked for shers to prove clouds and rain.
Forced into the ghazal groove: clouds and rain.
Joy-starved, a soul is a parched Sahara sky
sun saturated but bereft of clouds and rain.
The moist fragrance of honeysuckle dripped from
her long white cotton gloves like clouds and rain.
I've never met five year old eyes or tongue
that, captivated, do not love clouds and rain.
The meteorologist spoke of evapotranspiration.
I suppose he meant then you've clouds and rain.
Ponder the Holy Spirit's manifestations:
fire, wind, oil, a dove, clouds and rain.
Satellites, computer models enhance forecasts;
nevertheless, they don't improve clouds and rain.
To bathe his paramour in morning sunshine,
he rose before dawn to move clouds and rain.
The supersonic transport that sped the travelers
home, couldn't begin to shove clouds and rain.
What a dreary dismal world of bitter sunshine
should some unloving god remove clouds and rain.
Some day like an angel, the ghazalkar
Bill will sit, recite above the clouds, and reign.
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Roger Robison
The day holds a promise, or maybe a threat: clouds and rain.
Both farmers and tourists will hazard a bet: clouds and rain.
The rainbow's a pledge from the Master above that — henceforth
And forever — mankind shall never regret clouds and rain.
A tropical low appears in the Gulf, but no one heeds
As winds, with a swirling convection, beget clouds and rain.
The desolate desert deceives at first glance, but things change;
Its life below ground is revived by duet, clouds and rain.
A storm is approaching and shows in her eyes, so take note...
The warmth of a smile can deflect or offset clouds and rain.
A hurricane's victims say prayers of their own in the dark
And, counting their blessings, try not to forget clouds and rain.
The old man has tackled a ghazal again, and his shers
Attempt to deploy a radif in vignette: clouds and rain.
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