To: My Rain

John Michael Talinio

I am one with the weather.

I don’t go out when it’s sunny,

and I am in pain when it’s dry and humid.

I am always looking up at the sky,

day and night,

as if they’re looking back at me.

People avoid me when I’m around.

Only a few stay to get to know the real me.

I feel unwanted most of the time,

as though I terrify people—

so I do my best to isolate myself from everyone else.

Not because I need to, but because I choose to.

⸻

Nature is my comfort.

You will find me under the rain,

all soaked and alone.

You may mistake me as sad or brokenhearted,

but you are very far from the truth.

The truth is, I love Rain.

It gives me a strong sense of nostalgia—

a bittersweet feeling I cannot bring myself to dislike or remember.

It makes my heart ache and feel heavy,

but it elevates me at the same time.

It gives me life and subtle joy.

Even if you don’t stay for long,

a few fleeting glimpses of your tears

as they fall so effortlessly

are enough to make my day.

⸻

I wish to live near you—

a place most people avoid,

a weather most people avoid—

just like me.

I am certain I would fit right in.

After all,

some flowers only bloom under the rain.

Published in Issue No. 8, Verbum Clavis, May 1st, 2025.