Poems - April Rain Song, Rain

Rain Come down sweet rain; Come rain on me Like you rain on the tree, The maize and the grass; And they grow and grow and grow. Come down sweet rain, End famine and thirst. Soon the market will overflow; Vegetables and fruits, maize and beans; And I’ll grow and grow and grow. Come down sweet rain Wash away dust and dirt Fill our drum with sweet rain water So that tomorrow I can sleep till nine. And I’ll be happy, happy to rest. Come down sweet rain Shut out drought and heat Swell rivers, ponds and seas Then as I swim naked in the pool I’ll join the frogs singing for you. Sam Mbure (Kenya) April Rain Song Let the rain kiss you Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops Let the rain sing you a lullaby The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk The rain makes running pools in the gutter The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night And I love the rain. Langston Hughes Sometimes When it Rains Sometimes when it rains I smile to myslef And think of times when as a child I'd sit by myself And wonder why people need clothes Sometimes when it rains I think of times when I'd run into the rain Shouting 'Nkce - nkce mlanjana When will I grow? I'll grow up tomorrow!' Sometimes when it rains I think of times When I watched goats running so fast from the rain While sheep seemed to enjoy it Sometimes when it rains I think of times When we had to undress Carry the small bundles of uniforms and books On our heads And cross the river after school. Sometimes when it rains I remember times When it would rain hard for hours And fill our drum so we didn't have to fetch water From the river for a day or two Sometimes when it rains Rains for many hours without break I think of people who have nowhere to go No home of their own And no food to eat Only rain water to drink Sometimes when it rains Rains for days without break I think of mothers Who give birth in squatter camps Under plastic shelters At the mercy of cold angry winds Sometimes when it rains I think of 'illegal' job seekers in big cities Dodging police vans in the rain Hoping for darkness to come So they can find some wet corner to hide in Sometimes when it rains Rains so hard hail joins in I think of life prisoners in all the jails of the world and wonder if they still love To see the rainbow at the end of the rain Sometimes when it rains With hail stones biting the grass I can't help thinking they look like teeth Many teeth of smiling friends Then I wish that everyone else Had something to smile about. Gcina Mhlophe (South Africa)