who are you, rain

who are you,
mockingbird

that you bare your throat
to the sky
shaking down lute notes
from your feathers

and who are you,
rain

that you draw the scorched taste
from my mouth
with your million fingers
circling my soul

and who are you, forest sparrows
that you cry out in harmony
with each other's song
from opposite stars

and wood thrush, that you open the night's eyes
with your whisper
of glass

and who are you, night
that you rake away the weight
of a tired world

and you, earth,

who are you
to bleed, in spite of yourself
a soft green haze
as you dream