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November 21, 2021

Rhythm of Rain

Lynn Riggs

I

Out of the barrenness of earth,
And the meager rain—
Mile upon mile of exultant
Fields of grain.

Out of the dimness of morning—
Sudden and stark,
A hot sun dispelling
The hushed dark.

Out of the bleakness of living,
Out of the unforgivable wrongs,
Out of the thin, dun soil of my soul—
These songs.

II

Only the rhythm of the rain
Can ease my sorrow, end my pain.

He was a wilful lad,
Laughter the burden he had;

Songs unsung haunted his mouth,
Velvet as soft airs from the languid south;

He was sprung from the dawn,
Flame-crested. He is gone!

Only the lashing, silver whips
Of the rain can still my lips…

This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on November 21, 2021, by the Academy of American Poets.

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“Rhythm of Rain” appeared in Poetry 22, no. 5 (August 1923).

Rollie Lynn Riggs was an American poet, playwright, and screenwriter of Cherokee descent. He is best known for his 1931 play Green Grow the Lilacs, which was later adapted by Rodgers and Hammerstein into the 1943 musical Oklahoma!. The recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship and the author of twenty one full-length plays, he died on June 30, 1954.

Poetry
(August 1923)

“Song of the Storm-Swept Plain” by William D. Hodjkiss
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“Raindrops” by Mrs. Minot Carter
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Thanks to Kimberly Blaeser , author of Copper Yearning (Holy Cow! Press, 2019), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month’s weekdays. Listen to a Q&A about Blaeser’s curatorial approach and find out more about our guest editors for the year.

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Poem-a-Day - "Rhythm of Rain" by Lynn Riggs

Rhythm of Rain

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