The Rain of Life

Greg Lanier 1962 (Atlanta, GA)



Wake to the ache of a cheap clock radio
   start a pot
      feed and pet the cat
         sip a cup
then peel open the eyes in the rain of life.
don some cloth
drag to the pit of fate
do the time
collect the change
stop and suck a brew for the road
swallow some grease
shuffle to the bed
another day is gone.

Wake to the ache of a cheap clock radio
   start a pot
      feed the cat
chug a cup
then peel open the eyes in the rain of life.
don some cloth
race to the pit of fate
do some time
collect the change
stop and sling a few brews for the road
swallow some grease
catch some cable
stumble to the bed
another day is gone.

Wake late to the ache of a cheap clock radio
   skip the pot
      trip over the cat
and rip open the eyes in the rain of life.
change the mind
call the man and tell a lie
sit and dream and wonder why
power up and write a line
decide it’s worthless
catch some cable
catch some cable
catch some cable
another day is gone.
Wake on the couch to the ache
of a distant cheap clock radio
   start a pot
      feed and rub the cat
say a prayer thanking God that it’s Saturday
then peel open the eyes in the rain of life.
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Submitted by GregLanier on May 10, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:10 min read
35

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABcdEFghIjKlM ABcdEFghIjKNlM abcexooxxNNNMxaBcxE
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,101
Words 234
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 13, 14, 19

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    "The Rain of Life" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/99612/the-rain-of-life>.

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    By which poet was "The Raven" written?
    A William Shakespeare
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    C Edgar Allan Poe
    D Thomas Hardy