Rain poured yet never asked me Oblivious to my plans My hopes My outfits matched with shoes and My plans for fun. I sit in the morning shadows Waiting for the clouds to fly away or at least Turn gray to cream white to toasted gold With the sun coming Through bronze chinks Passing over, casting shadows, cooling this street patch of bungalows, remodeled driveways, grassy yards turning back to green Clouds drift then circle then hang A tempting practice * * * * * * * * Rain pours yet never seeks permission Oblivious to my hopes set for summer regeneration, no longer the teacher working summers who Instead laughs like a coed through summer. Still, it washes down, failing to admire My outfits matched with shoes, all purchased at my favorite thrift store. A $40 limit for a season of action -- Flowing, wearing down with miles upon miles, dancing, skipping, tearing when climbing walls. Set against me, the water continues, swamping My plans for fun with The lively Silver Sneakers crowd, retirees who are active, sassy, happily opinionated After years of following the rules and being good. I sit in the morning shadows Waiting for the clouds to fly away or at least Turn gray to cream white to toasted gold With the sun coming Through bronze chinks. Cello music fills my home as I wander through my rooms in casual summer glory, My dark hair scooped up in a colorful scarf. Surely looking like I should be out on a Vespa while Sipping iced drinks, and I sigh as the last sonorous note fades. Passing over, the clouds cast shadows, Cooling this neighborhood's patch of bungalows, grassy yards turning back to green, Independent shops, community schools, dog parks, and community gardens. My polka-dotted umbrella at the ready, I peek out. Clouds drift then circle then hang A tempting practice For the eclipse to come When I will be like a starlet of old Walking through the clouded, rain-soaked streets or this Darkened, mysterious, changing world Knowing my moment in history Though no one else, not even the clouds, realize.