I am watching the rain
and it is perfect
I don’t know why
perhaps it is because
it feels like something is happening outside
remember when
something happened outside
perhaps it is because
there are no umbrellas tangling trellis
no roadies pursing lips around slippery pavilions
no empty audiences choosing dry Netflix over live setlists
there are no plans to cancel
remember when
there were plans to cancel
perhaps it is because
if the police shout up to my balcony
I will say
I am not leaving my apartment
I am not breaking the law
I am eating bread alone
watching the rain
there are no friends with me
remember when
breaking bread did not break the law
perhaps it is because
I was a science teacher
and the part of me that is not a science teacher
has to work twice as hard
to imagine that the rain will wash away everything
maybe if it rains enough
we can go outside
I know it is a lie but
remember when
you could wash yourself enough
perhaps it is because
just weeks ago in Melbourne
the air was made of ash
and the rain arrived to slice it
and we could breathe again
so we danced outside and poured ciders
remember when we had run out of places to seek hope
then it poured from the sky
I am watching the rain
and it is perfect
I don’t know why
perhaps it is because
remember when
…………….
Josh Cake is a musician, comedian, and poet from Melbourne, Australia. He is releasing comedy videos every Thursday (search for Josh Cake on YouTube), plus collaborating on a range of online art projects, and taking solo commissions. You can find out more and commission work by finding him on Instagram or his website.