Today’s poem is “Breathing in the Rain” by Amira Al Sammrai. She wrote it at The Telling Room in Portland, as a member of the Young Writers & Leaders program, which brings together teens from many countries, including her native Iraq. Amira is the mother of two young children and currently lives with her family in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her poem is featured in the Telling Room "best" youth poetry collection, A New Land.
Breathing in the Rain
Amira Al Sammrai
One time I lived
In a room with a window
I had to lean far out of
To see a small patch of sky.
I could hear the children playing outside
But through that window I saw
No sunlight and no stars.
I couldn’t tell if it was day or night.
I was in a small bird’s cage.
I remember one night
The clouds hugged each other
And the sky rained.
That night I hated to stay
In my room so I went out
To breathe the roses’ perfume
And see rain falling on the paper bark
Of trees washed from the hot season.
Thin water flowed between my feet.
Back inside the rain fell on my window
Making a beautiful voice
And mixing its steam with my breath.
That day I flew with the raindrops
And I saw the gardens and deserts.
I saw farms, I saw houses.
The rain is a miracle of god.
After the rain eased
I could still smell it
And I went to bed
To sleep and to wash my heart again.