The Rain is a Comfort or The Waitress is Kind
My father would be comfortable
In this café with rain falling outside
He sitting by the window, a quiet man
Not a big man, having been outside
In the rain, now warming his hands
Around a cup of black coffee
He has been by the railroad tracks,
A finer version of himself, no longer
Collecting spilled coal in a burlap sack
Now a better version of himself
In another city far away, thinking
How the rain is pleasant outside,
And the waitress was kind to him,
Understands him, they speak the same
Language somehow, and he can anticipate
A spring day the next day, daisies
Are in full bloom, and he has a car
That works, not a new one, maybe
Brightly painted but no – should be
Gray, and he notices his cap is gray
And he still has to fit into this
City but he likes this café
And it will be alright, everything
Will be alright. The rain is a comfort.
_____________
Zeke Sanchez
Review by Jared Pearce
I like how this poem shimmers between recollection and projection: did the father actually do this, think this, or is the poem something the speaker is pretty sure would fit the father’s way of living and doing? It’s a quiet poem—possibly because of its indefiniteness—and I find that such a tone hits right.
Review by Nancy Christopherson
I am so moved by this portrait of the speaker’s father, the love and admiration expressed so clearly through these simple but authentic, detailed lines of this perfectly crafted poem. The hope and hardship and gratitude, the gentle comfort of rain and a kind voice offered from a new, far-away place, a small confidence that everything will be alright. The quiet comfort of a cup of coffee and a warm place to consider the future, perhaps one not as hard as the past. A kind of genuine prayer. A portrait of kindled hope. Of viewing the bright side. Making the best of even the smallest of joys. Poem about not giving up. The recognition of character, which matters so much. This remarkable brief poem is about gratitude. Above all, love. Beautiful piece. Thank you, Zeke Sanchez.