Did I love it enough... those years when the rain fell steady and relentless, pounding on the roof, finding any crevices to drop through and sneak into our sala requiring buckets to catch the drips.
Did I love it enough when I watched the rain cascading across the field opposite, forging a stream through the dried-up grass before hitting our track, crossing it and diving into the gulley that took it towards Santa Clara lake or Barragem de Rocha?
Did I love it enough when I stood outside and listened to the big fat drops falling from the roof onto the ground below - no gutters then to carry it away to a water deposit to keep it safe for times of drought?
Did I love it enough when I saw the rivulets of rain scurry across our land heading for our lake, which waited with open arms to welcome it into its empty, cavernous belly? Or, as I watched the water rise to overflowing rejoicing as it trickled through the overflow pipe and out to the gully to head to the barragems. Watching the bridge across the lake submerged by rain and Keith standing on it in his wellies, looking as though he was walking on water.
Did I love it enough when I stood outside taking photographs of the layer of silvery rain spreading across our land, soaking into the earth and down, down, down to the aquifers? Then noticing when I put the photos on the computer that there were designs in the rain drops - mandalas whispering secrets to us.
Sitting out here this morning listening to the shower we had around 6am; willing it to last all day, noticing the change in cadence as the clouds float on by taking the rain with it. I cry, stay, please stay, we need you! But it just keeps going, keeps on flowing to another place. Maybe they need it too, but I miss it.
