Poetry Friday: October Rain

Welcome to Poetry Friday. My poem today, October Rain, was inspired by the weird weather we experienced yesterday in West Central Wisconsin. Sunny, stormy, rainy, along with tiny hailstones, and a rainbow mixed in, the weather – with all its rapid flux – left me inspired! I wrote about this not only today, but yesterday in more of a narrative post. October! It is a time of change!

The rain rapidly comes down,

with a harsh vengeance,

not a pitter patter anywhere around.

Visiting from darkened clouds

that push out the sunny blue skies

in a way that makes bullies proud.

No thunder today

just a sneak attack on people

who are innocently on their way.

Sans umbrellas, boots, or caps,

the torrential rains can

feel like a thousand mini-slaps.

Hurry, hurry to your shelter.

Make haste but do not fall,

this is not a time of swelter.

For the heat of August is all gone,

choosing when to hike

becomes a game with a pawn.

October rains come from once

clear blue skies,

be not surprised, its one of nature’s stunts.

Seasons come and seasons go,

into each a little rain

must flow.

So be prepared for October skies

they’ll change up quickly as

they tell you their lies.

This week Poetry Friday is being hosted by Tabitha Yeatts of The Opposite of Indifference. Thank you Tabitha for hosting this supportive forum of writers and lovers of poetry!

13 responses to “Poetry Friday: October Rain”

  1. laurashovan222 Avatar
    laurashovan222

    I could visualize this moment perfectly, Carol! Being caught out in that surprise rainstorm without umbrella or jacket.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. theapplesinmyorchard Avatar

      Hi, Laura! Thank you so much! I wasn’t sure what I was going to write today but then the opportunity presented itself! I appreciate you stopping by!

      Like

  2. cvarsalona Avatar

    Carol, we have been having changes in weather bringing on the rains that start out dark. This afternoon nature did a flip flop. The skies opened to sunshine as we walked for the poor around the town. Everyone was in good spirits. Your collage of nature photos helped me remember. ” torrential rains can/feel like a thousand mini-slaps”-Oouch!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. theapplesinmyorchard Avatar

      Wow! I am so far behind in returning comments! Thanks so much for sticking with my blog! My folks still live outside of Rochester (NY) and we find the weather gets to your area in 2-3 days! The last week has been nice! Was it nice there?

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Linda Mitchell Avatar
    Linda Mitchell

    ooooh, that line, “in a way that makes bullies proud.” What a fresh and true image of a sudden storm. Well done!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. theapplesinmyorchard Avatar

      I liked that line too and it just came to me! 🙂 I love it when that happens!

      Like

  4. maryleehahn Avatar
    maryleehahn

    Your photos are as much of a poem as your poem is!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Tabatha Avatar

    I know exactly what you mean about “mini-slaps” – not weather you want to be caught out in, for sure!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Laura Purdie Salas Avatar

    I love those verbs that show us how aggressive the rain was, Carol!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. theapplesinmyorchard Avatar

      Thanks! it was fun to write! I apologize for my late reply.

      Like

  7. macrush53 Avatar

    Beautiful photos for a beautiful poem.

    Liked by 1 person

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I’m Carol

Welcome to my space, where I’ve been blogging since February 2017.

Let’s connect

Publicatons

An Anthology of Ekphrastic Nature Poetry with twenty-five authors from four countries. Featuring the poets’ color photography and a variety of poem types. Written for middle-grade students, their teachers, and homeschooled students. Published in 2024 by Northern Loon Press.
My chapbook of poetry (2022) is available on Amazon.