Here where the rain falls

Twelve messy thoughts create one lovely idea.

Drops of rain hang on the tea olive on a wet Tuesday morning in the Carolinas. (Photo by Michael Banks)

The rain falls here down near where the South Fork and Catawba meet.

The branches of the tea olive outside my window hang heavy with water, lime green offshoots reach up, seeking sunlight, but instead it’s a cloud-filled sky. Tiny yellow clusters of bloom emit the sweet scent, but my window stays closed and I fear…