First Rain

Summer is the longest season in Africa, yet the build up to the "rainy season" can seem painfully long and dry. Most farmers wait for the opening of the heavens as their cue for planting next season's crops; for this reason, the rains in Africa are a big deal and a worthy of topic for any writer! There is nothing like the smell of rain on parched earth, made even more tantalizing by the steamy build up to the rainy season. "First Rain" is a collection of poems and pictures that describe both the build up to the rains, and the earth's response to the replenishment of moisture after the dry season.