Rain?
by Kurt Simmons
Mother Nature has such treats,
For those who lend an ear.
Tonight I had the privilege
Of a glorious one to hear.

Boulder is lovely in the fall
And as we all know
Everywhere upon the trees
The colors start to show.

In late October a freeze it hits, 
And the leaves fall to the ground.
And if you walk across the lawn,
You hear a crunchy sound.

Until one dry day you find your lawn
Completely lined with leaves
And overhead there still remain
Some stragglers in the trees.

Then late that night it starts to rain
As the evening temperature falls
I sit inside and hear strange noises 
Echoing within my walls.

I go outside to investigate
This strange and wonderful sound
I'm forced to pause and listen
To this wonder that I've found.

The tiny drops of rain 
Are freezing as they fall.
And when they meet the dried out leaves
There's a noise I can't recall.

Swirling leaves come to mind,
But the sound is speeded up,
Like a thousand leaves being stirred within,
A giant coffee cup.

A fancy Irish step dance
Might describe it nice,
If the cast consisted of
A thousand nimble mice.

Have you ever spilled a bag of rice
Upon on hardwood floor?
But you'd have to spill it slowly
For at least ten minutes or more.

Perhaps a million drops of ice
Upon a window pane
I wonder if again I'll hear 
The sound of crunchy rain?