“Some Words for the Week”

The rain paints

first in the brown of mudslides

and puddle splatter

on passing cars

moving through the storm

then comes the green

sprouting up from the ground

coating the hillsides

and tree tips in living shades

a deep breath for the eyes

and once the background

of a summer mountainside

is done in May showers

the foreground of flowers

of wild raspberries

and mushrooms

are skillfully filled in

columbines boletes buttercups

the whole of a color wheel

spread over the plains grass

a once dormant forest

blooming and vivid and alive

all made to do so

by the days of mist and thunder

soaking into the thirsty dirt

Alexander Shalom Joseph is a writer from Gilpin County. He has two published books and one more forthcoming in the Fall of 2022. For more information and to subscribe to Alexander’s Newsletter go to alexandershalomjoseph.com