Rachael and the Rainbow

Rachael Raegan Randall loved to wish upon the stars
And lose herself in fairy tales of fantasies afar.
She'd run around and flap her arms, pretend that she could fly,
Soaring effortlessly, gliding 'cross the pristine cyan sky.
She saw animals and people in the clouds of fluffy white,
And sighted many UFO's while stargazing at night.

But Rachael's dearest, fondest dream was harder to achieve,
Although she knew that someday, if she ardently believed,
That one day, it would happen, and that day was not too far,
When she'd live her dream of capturing a rainbow in a jar.

For rainbows are a wonder, of extremely finite bliss.
They come and go in moments, and are all-too-often missed.
With their bashful blushing bands of colour, splayed across the skies,
To signal peace and beauty, after rainstorms' mournful cries.
When Rachael saw a rainbow, she never failed to smile,
And she wished with all her heart that it would stay there for awhile.

She wanted to explore it, to befriend it, to hold on
To that warm and glowy feeling, but too soon, it would be gone.
The colours of the rainbow, the purples, reds, and blues,
And yellows, greens, and oranges, and other vibrant hues
Would fade into infinity, one moment there, then not.
And Rachael wished so fervently that rainbows could be caught.

So one rainy summer day, as the thunder raged and roared,
Across the angry steel-grey sky, while wind whistled, whooshed, and soared,
Little Rachael had a clever plan, a truly genius scheme
So when the sun came out of hiding, she'd achieve her dream.
She went into the pantry, found her mother's Mason jar
And exclaimed, "Rainbow, I'll capture you, no matter WHERE you are!!!
Even if you're only there for a scintilla of a blink,
I'll close the lid tight on this jar before you've time to think!"

So, sure enough, the sun came out, and shone its rays once more,
And crystallized the raindrops from the clouds' enraged downpour
Upon the trees and flowers, and the lowly blades of grass
The world looked truly magical, now that the rain had passed.
The rainbow stretched and arched and preened, in Technicolour bloom,
And on her little legs, towards that rainbow, Rachael zoomed.
For Rachael had a mission, with her Mason jar in hand,
To preserve for all eternity those multicoloured bands.
So she ran with all her might, and stretched her hand towards the sky,
But she couldn't reach the rainbow, and she couldn't figure why
The crimson, golden, green, cobalt, and violet combination
Of coloured rays eluded her, to Rachael's consternation.
No matter how she ran and grasped, the jar stayed crystal-clear
Despite all Rachael's efforts, she never could get near
The rainbow, which receded with each hopeful, yearning stride,
So with her empty Mason jar, poor Rachael went inside.

Through tears of disappointment, she told her mom her woes,
To which Mom told little Rachael, "Sometimes, that's just how it goes.
If everything we loved and cherished stayed with us forever,
Then we'd have almost no appreciation whatsoever.
For, rainbows fade to nothing, in a fruit-fly's afternoon,
And summer cools to autumn, and it's schooltime all too soon.

Winter snowmen melt to slushy blobs, then puddles soak the grass,
Whose hopeful, green-brown presence signals wintertime has passed.
Sandcastles, built by careful hands, are washed ashore by waves
Whose ruthless, rolling ravages leave no child's work unscathed.
Old friends pack up and move away, leaving nothing much behind,
Except memories of laughter in their loved ones' hearts and minds.

So, although it is impossible to tread the same river twice,
Even though it's ever-changing, it can still be just as nice.
For, each day brings adventure, and emerging hope anew,
It's all right there within our grasp, if we just see our way through
The painful moves and changes, the tearful, sad goodbyes,
Those things are part of growing up, so we must dry our eyes."

"Oh, Mother," replied Rachael, "Your words are oh-so-wise,
And now that you have helped me, I have learned to realize
That a great deal of the beauty of a rainbow's gentle kiss
Against the bright blue sky is, it is all-too-quickly missed
By less observant eyes than mine, by people who don't care
That things of beauty come and go, and won't always be there.
But those times are truly magical, although they pass by fast,
And this jar here may be empty, but the memories will last,
Of rainbows, clouds, and flowers, of family, pets, and friends,
I know that all the things we love must someday sadly end."