Where Roots Yearn for Rain

Where Roots Yearn for Rain

By Theodora Filis

My thoughts are wandering far tonight—

Birdsong flutters beyond my windowpane,

Reminding me that roots too deep

Can sometimes yearn for rain.

Once I longed for resting stillness,

To settle, to belong;

But life, I’ve learned, is not a pond—

It’s current, wild and strong.

I am in love—truly, madly,

With a spirit met in dreams,

Who stepped from pages, soft and gladly,

Into my sunlight streams.

Happiness sings in the breath I take,

Freedom in every sigh,

If joy is not our guiding star,

Then why on earth do we try?

We voyage in the mind’s bright eye—

But do our hearts set sail?

Do we let emotion sweep us up,

Or fear the towering gale?

We must, we must, embrace it all—

Each moment, sweet and bold;

Drink deeply from the well of life,

Let wonder take its hold.

Alone, together, lost in crowds,

Or happily apart—

Life lives within the beating pulse

Of every open heart.

Sometimes those we love will clutch

To keep us safe, and near;

But in their arms, our wings may fade—

Until we disappear.

So do not watch your life drift by

From some forgotten shore;

Live fiercely, brightly, every day,

And always seek for more.

Except perhaps in southern France,

At a café, sunlit, wide—

To watch the world’s procession pass,

And let your soul reside.

So set your sails for far-off joys,

For adventure, for delight—

It is your birthright to be free,

To chase what makes you bright.