Whether Prediction

Whether Prediction


They say that it may rain this afternoon.
Right now it's morning, and perfectly clear,
And yet they say a storm's approaching soon
And that it's going to be the worst all year.
I should take an umbrella from the hall
Closet, but now my mind is so entranced
By rain that, if I take one out at all,
It will be nothing more than happenstance.
What is the rain? Or, what is it to me?
If it rained yesterday or rains tonight
To batten down the hatches now would be
Either too early or too late - not right.
The past is dead; the future is not yet.
If it should come, I'll simply brave the wet.