(A Collaborative Play)
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Introduction
The rain arrived before either of us expected it – soft at first, then certain – the kind of storm that hushes the world and draws a gentle boundary around a single, quiet place. A cabin by the lake, a window lit from within, two mugs of tea warming two sets of hands.
One of us watched the storm gather its strength; the other felt the calm settle into the spaces it left untouched. The following pieces are two perspectives on the same evening – two ways of being held by weather, by quiet, by the small sanctuary we shared for a moment in time.
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"Held by the Rain"
by Elizabeth Scott (Songbird0926)
My love slips behind a cloud,
a pocket of gray
gently holding the sun
so she can rest and be
ready for another day.
I stand silent,
feeling the breeze on my face and
the small droplets of water
the clouds share with me.
They grow bigger, forming
clusters, then drops,
then a soaked sundress and no umbrella
leave me seeking warmth
in the cabin next to the lake.
In only minutes,
I am cozy,
content once again,
wrapped up in a large,
purple, fuzzy blanket,
mug of hot tea with honey
in my hand.
I'm gently held by the
calm within,
steadily present as
the softness of breath
falls around me.
I linger by the window
and watch the energy outside.
The rain is fierce,
pouring itself into
large drops that move with
the wind
as they bounce against
everything in their path.
A calm settles deep in my bones,
touching my world with
the hint of a promise,
The rain's passion is creating
a boundary --
this far, no farther,
for an outside world with
worries and problems.
The storm blocks all movement inward.
The cabin remains safe,
a place to be still and still be me.
I am moved by the rain's
protection
and settle in a chair
next to the window
to watch these drops
I trust to
hold my world
Through one moment
of safety
at a time.
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Author’s Note:
This poem is my view from inside the cabin as the storm gathered around us. The rain became a boundary and a comfort – a moment of safety held gently in time.
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"Cradled by the Calm"
by Adam Wojcicki (Versebuster)
The cabin hums with quiet warmth,
a soft pulse beneath the rain.
I sink into the chair by the window,
steam rising,
honey swirling in golden spirals.
Outside, drops race across the lake,
skimming, bouncing, scattering.
Inside, time folds around me,
walls cradle the air –
steady, patient, enough for a breath.
The blanket wraps me close,
purple, soft, unspoken comfort.
I let the silence fill the space
between the thunder of clouds
and the hush of my own pulse.
Through glass, the storm is alive,
dancing, spinning, leaping.
Each drop is a promise,
holding back the world
from the warmth within.
I linger, watching the energy,
feeling it settle in,
in hands and quiet bones.
The rain is a boundary,
a gentle wall between what is
and what cannot touch us now.
I breathe it in, let it settle,
one steady, trusting moment at a time.
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Author’s Note:
This poem is my perspective from the same cabin evening captured in Elizabeth Scott’s "Held by the Rain." While she follows the storm’s protective energy, I explore the quiet warmth within – two views, one sanctuary, one shared moment of calm.
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