Rain smatters the windshield,
streams from my car
over the interstate,
trails in great, soaking clouds
behind semis and tractors,
and coats the shoulders,
fields, ponds, and farmhouses
with a settling sheet.
Insects, birds, farmers, field hands
retreat into solitude;
activity is submerged;
everything on the earth
draws inward,
toward the silent mirror
for a brief eternity.