Rain at Dynamic Earth

Incessant rain-drops on shallow patches
spawn clustrous pulse rings
splattering in haphazard patterns.
Repeat the unique impact — random yet determinable
That gorged clouds will heave, spit
and splutter on the surface.

Puddles deepen, as the downpour surges
from sky, off roofs and along tarpaulin.
Now the ground is
a minefield of fleeting fluid craters
where white spray shoots wide
like miniature wild fountains.

For an infinitesimal
frozen moment
these drops resemble an
aquatic volcano,
hurling liquid debris at the air.

But when the clouds have purged their load,
and pedestrians once again chance the road,
the plopping bombardment ceases.
The pulsating pits fade into stillness.

For all the tricks played by the deluge of rain,
the shape of the concrete beneath it
never changed.

*First published by Cherwell (2011)