Rain ~ A Poem by Raymond Garfield Dandridge

Seeing Beauty in the Rain Instead of Running From It

What if every raindrop carried not gloom, but a quiet invitation to notice the world coming back to life?

Rain

Raymond Garfield Dandridge

The clouds are shedding tears of joy, 
They fall with rhythmic beat 
Upon the earth, and soon destroy 
Dust dunes and waves of heat. 

Each falling drop enforcement bears 
To river, lake and rill, 
And sweet refreshment gladly shares 
With wooded dell and hill. 

Every flower, bud and leaf, 
Each blossom, branch and tree 
Distills the rain, ’tis my belief, 
To feed the honey bee. 

I pity every wretch I find 
Who, frowning in disdain, 
Is deaf and dumb and also blind 
To beauty in the rain.

Source

Rain is often seen as an interruption — a ruined plan, a gray day, a reason to wait for “better weather.” But Dandridge reminds us that rain is not a thief of joy, but a giver of life. Each drop carries nourishment, renewal, and unseen generosity. Flowers bloom because of it, rivers rise because of it, and even the honeybee owes its sweetness to it. The deeper message? What we call “inconvenience” may be quietly blessing the world in ways we never notice.

The poem invites us to look again — not just at the rain, but at anything we’ve dismissed too quickly. What else around us is quietly saving the day while we’re too busy complaining about the clouds?

Reader Question

What’s something in your life that you once saw as a nuisance — but now recognize as a gift in disguise?