I love the rain. I love watching it, hearing it, being in it. The Great Love Affair between the skies and the earth: Alternating passion, tenderness, hesitancy, insistence, rage, joy, sorrow. The first drops come inconsistently- the sky feeling out the earth he loves. Then, the clouds moan and all appearance of constraint is thrown off The sky pours himself out on the earth: millions of drops hurtling to the ground with all their might; A brief bounce back, no more than half a second- nothing in comparison to the fall- then the water swallows the earth in an all-embracing touch like a child flinging himself into his mother's open arms after a day's separation, or like lovers in a clandestine affair reunited in secrecy's safety. There is no surface where they do not meet, no space left untouched or unaffected. At times, the rain tries to slow down, to draw back, to catch his breath again. But his target is irresistible; she pulls him back to her in full force once again. Yet even the greatest, the most passionate of lovers must part. There are limits to how much love one can give, limits to how much intimacy one can absorb. So the earth holds the sky in her heart only. Later, their love will be made manifest to the world through the tangible green, and purple, and pink, and white, and yellow, and red, and orange, and blue life explosions that burst out in joy and contentment. So happy to be alive. The skies bid farewell gently- the rain falls softer now, sad to leave, but he must, he must, he must... Adventure calls to him, a desire to travel to the unknown, to prove himself. And she has secrets to keep, new facets to reveal to the careful seeker because she's always changing. She has children to nurture, bratty though some have become. That's ok. He'll discipline them when he comes home. He'll break their pride if she asks.