“Night Rain” by Jere Paulmeno

I woke last night to hard rain falling,

making the gutter fill.

I lay within my covers listening,

curled and dry and still,

until, merciful in its fullness,

the hard, night-falling rain

absolved my thoughts of consciousness

and rid them of their pain

like sheltered creatures rain has driven

to deep dry dens in woods,

brown eyes closed, as if forgiven,

safe in their solitudes.

About Jere Paulmeno
He/Him/His

Jere Paulmeno lives in Thornton, Colorado. Besides writing verse, he translates poetry from the Spanish and the Italian. He has published his work in Think, Another Chicago Magazine, The Los Angeles Review and other journals. He is a member of the American Literary Translators Association and the Colorado Mountain Club.