where ever the rain must fall

Grape-sized hail

fell before equinox,

hard enough to knock

the petals off

the apple trees

where they speckled

the garden paving stones

before the bees

could work them over.

Samantha made a mental note

to ask Juan to sweep them up

while she was gone

to her Monday pilates class.

Eric, the carroty Irish

red-haired and freckled kid

with Chinese eyes,

stuffed his physics book

and dog-eared Heinlein

into a library-sized rucksack,

smashing his tuna sandwich

and crushing his dill pickle

potato chips to crumbs.

He almost missed the bus.

Found a seat next to Maria

who was stroking

the fine dark hair

of eight month old Roberto.

Eric stared at the spider web tattoo

that climbed up her neck

to just below her ear.

Someday she'd like

to get it removed.

It's been two years

since she left the homies

who hung out on the stairs

in front of her mothers house,

and if she never saw Tomas

again, that would be fine too.

They both turned when Gus,

began to fuss with the bill

of his frayed fatigue cap,

running his fingers

over the blood red motto

embroidered on the crown

that read semper fi.

He sputtered d,d,damn it.

now I'm m,m,mad.

and closed his eyes

trying to summon

an old song from the sixties 

while the sound of mortars exploding

replayed over and over in his head.

John waited patiently behind

the bus in his Tesla Model S.

A Chopin etude filled the car

where he sat contemplating

his day's meetings and deals

cocooned in leather solitude.

The clouds gathered and waited

to deliver the same blessing

or rage to fall.

Some would have shelter

and some not at all.