Let Him In

I listen to the rain
As it whispers through a wall
It cracks and bullies the plaster
Slowly and tenderly it pokes through
Forming little holes
To let the water spill into
A flood for my pent up soul
I know it is the only way
To become more alive
I saw it once in a stain glass church
Where people dipped into the water
Like flowers with morning dew
To call out to God past the earth
And die in their sins for a rebirth
So I listen to the rain
As it murmurs through a door
Filtrating its way through the locks
And flowing through the peephole
But the rain can only make it so far
It can only reach my ankles
I have to break down the wall
Open the door
To let all the whispers in
All the murmurs resound
Or I am just a man
With his ear pressed to the wall
And I am just a man
With his hand on the door knob
I listen to the rain only
For the very last time
As I make one adequate hole in the wall
And open the door just a crack
So I can taste the rain also
And smell it too
Feel it on my skin and in my hair
As it spills through my soul
It is nostalgia to be remembered
Of how it feels to be wet
Dripping with the sky's sweat
And washing me clean
For I never knew that I was even dirty
And that my skin was brown
Until I broke down the wall
And opened the door
Then let myself drown.

-anna sluder

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