By Shem Onderi
Rain, come in your season,
Rain, rain, come again, for
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little plants need to germinate.
Not long ago, the clouds would gather
as a sign of your approach,
warning us of an impending storm.
Then you would fall in drops,
forming streams,
which would flow into big rivers,
and eventually into the lake.
In those days, your arrival was predictable,
and we would take shelter
before the storm.
But now,
there are no signs of your coming,
and we’re caught off guard,
experiencing your fury without warning.
You drench us,
washing away our grains,
and sweeping our cattle
and chickens downstream.
Take us back to those bygone ages,
when we knew exactly when to plant,
prune, and
harvest.
Those times have been lost
to prolonged dry seasons,
which have exposed
deep rocks in the riverbeds,
and brought seasonal flash floods
that have depleted
the mudfish in the upstream waters.
In the past,
cold shivers
and heat came at different times,
but now you fall in the presence of sunlight.
We need heavy drops that
will fill our containers to the brim.
We need you,
rain,
to come in your season,
and bring life back to our parched lands.
