I can remember
Waking to the sound of summer rain.
The sound of drops pelting against my window
They seemed to try to come into my room.
Knowing my father would be up—
He always went to the back patio
To sit and watch the rain
Rain that would cleanse and nourish,
Sustaining the desert until the next rain.
I can remember
Sliding out of bed
Going to the screen door.
I could smell the freshness of the wet rain.
I would slowly open the door
Step out into the dark night
To stand next to my father.
The rain would wash away all the dust
Not only from the summer sky
But from our lives.

By Linda R. Hagen
Van Buren, Arkansas
March 7, 2011

My father passed away last week.
I wrote this poem in remembrance of him.
It was inspired by the poem “Memory” by Margaret Walker.

Linda teaches Oral Communication to ninth graders and Reading to eighth and ninth graders at Coleman Junior High School in Van Buren, Arkansas. You can reach her by e-mail at lhagen@vbsd.us