The possibility of rain…

The possibility of rain… If rain is possible
everything is possible: spinach, lettuce, radish and dill,
even carrots and potatoes, even black
and red currants, even swallows
above the pond where you can see
the reflection of the full moon, and bats flying.
The children finish playing badminton and go in.
There’s a haze to the west. Little by little
the fatigue in my limbs changes to optimism. I dream
I borrow a plane to fly to Cologne.
I must go in too. The sky’s nearly dark,
a half-moon shining through birch branches.
Suddenly I feel myself like an alchemist’s retort
where all this – heat, boredom,
hope and new thoughts –
is melting into something strange, colourful and new.