Eight-line Poems

The First Rains

Before I even consider writing anything, let me record that I think Denise Levertov’s poem is excellent. This is the first time I’ve read it (and I’ve never heard of her before) but it struck me in the first few lines that this is a truly powerful poem. It is full of bright, clear imagery and reveals a fresh, original vision of something that a thousand poets have tried and failed to encapsulate. Denise Levertov succeeds in it.

The First Rains

In Africa, the days are bright with harsh sunlight
yet dulled with the heat and dust of drought.
All life stands in the shade and regards the faded world,
colour leached from the scene by the relentless sun,
yearning for the rains to come. And when they do,
great, fat drops falling from a thunderous sky
to raise puffs of dirt, churning the red earth to mud,
leaving the air sharp, clear, daubed with oils to paint the pastel land.


Line count: 8
Free verse
For Express It In Eight, April 17 2021
Prompt: Denise Leverton’s poem, Celebration.