My poetry journey through Taylor Swift’s folklore album will soon draw to a close. My last piece took inspiration from “betty.” Today’s poem draws on the song “peace.”
A Little Rain Never Hurt
Step back from the sunflowers and you’ll see
gray skies and drops of rain. There’s a certain
peace from the sound of them falling against
my window that helps me fall asleep. I only seem
to stay still amid the storm. Blue skies and sunshine
make me nervous. At least I know what to expect with
the gray. And when it thunders, it soothes me
like a lullaby, the crack and roar singing me to sleep.
There’s no need to run from it, friend. Stand with me
under my umbrella until we can see the sunflowers again.
Swift’s song describes the turbulence that follows her because of her celebrity status. This makes having a normal relationship difficult. But I always interpreted the lyrics as what it’s like to have a relationship with someone who may live with mental health issues.
I wrote my poem from the perspective of someone who lives in perpetual rain and has to seek the flowers. I think many people live that way in reality, but social media has forced us to share only the sunshine.
But I also think it’s important to find beauty in the gray, rainy skies. As someone who grew up in Florida, where half the year is hurricane season, I learned quickly to feel at home in a storm. It reminds me of another song lyric from my favorite band, Good Charlotte: “But do the flowers ever grow/In the places it don’t rain?”
Thanks for following along on this poetic journey. Stay tuned for the next installment!