As I Hear the Rain

Douglas Weed was awarded Honorable Mention in Poetry in the 2019 Prison Writing Contest.

Every year, hundreds of imprisoned people from around the country submit poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and dramatic works to PEN America’s Prison Writing Contest, one of the few outlets of free expression for the country’s incarcerated population. On September 18, PEN America will celebrate the winners of this year’s contest with a live reading at the Brooklyn Book Festival, BREAK OUT: A 2019 PEN America Prison Writing Awards Celebration.

As I Hear the Rain

As I hear the rain pitter-patting
On the glass like tiny tap dancers with
Their shiney steel-tipped black shoes,
I hum A little tune and wander through the green— 
House tending the vegetables growing
In piles of dirt collected within
Plain unornamented brown pots,
                                                              She had
Never understood my fascination
With the smell of dirt and fertilizer
Trapped in rows of rotting wooden benches.
Rain streaks the neglected face glaring coldly
From the kitchen window as I move
To protect the tomatoes from the frost
That is sure to come during the night.